Steps:

• To make the burger sauce add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix, refrigerate and allow the flavours to combine for an hour.
• In a separate bowl, season the beef mince with salt and pepper and form into 8 x 50g balls.  Press into a 12cm ring mould to form a thin pattie.
• Place the diced onion into ice cold water. Leave for 10 minutes and then drain.
• Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and then lightly toast the buns.  Put to one side. Add oil to the pan and fry your burgers in two batches, cooking for two minutes per side, until cooked. On four of the patties, place over a piece of cheese for the final minute to allow it to melt a little.
• To assemble the burgers, spread some burger sauce across the bottom bun. Sprinkle over some of the crisped onions and shredded lettuce then add one burger pattie. Top with the second base, more burger sauce, onions and lettuce and sliced gherkins. Finally, top with the second burger patty and bun top. Serve with the classic fries and a can of coke.

Steps:

• 1. Peel and finely slice the garlic.
  2. Get a large pan of salted water on the boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux.
  3. Add all the sliced garlic – don’t worry about the amount because each slice will caramelise like toffee in the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky.
  4. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally.
  5. Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
  6. Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with sea salt and black pepper. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan.
  7. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, chopped tomatoes and pick in half of the thyme leaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a little grating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it’s hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.
  8. If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious.
  9. While it’s cooking, put your breadcrumbs and the rest of the the thyme leaves into a pan with a few drizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs around until crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nice bowl.
  10. Serve your macaroni cheese in the centre of the table, with your bowl of crispy breadcrumbs for sprinkling over, and a lovely green salad.