Preheat the grill to high.

Finely chop the onion and gherkins, then put them into a large mixing bowl. Add the minced beef, mustard, egg, salt and pepper.

For the juiciest burgers, buy minced beef that is labelled as containing around 20 per cent fat. Grilling the burgers rather than frying or griddling will allow much of this fat to drain away, but it will keep the burgers moist. Leaner mince will give you a healthier option, but the burgers may seem a little dry. Buy the best quality mince you can – cheaper meat tends to contain more water, and shrinks a lot more when it’s cooked.

Mix everything together well until even. Using your hands is the easiest way, even if it does seem messy.

While it’s still in the bowl, roughly divide the meat mixture into 4 sections.

Dampen your hands (this makes the mixture easier to shape and handle), then shape the mixture into 4 large burgers, about 2 cm (3⁄4 inch) thick and 10 cm (4 inches) across.

Transfer to a plate or chopping board.