Newsletter: 🍔 Beautiful burgers inside and out + handy hacks on video 🎥

23 May 2025 · ckbk newsletter

A weekend of grilling, barbecues and picnics!

Wherever you are this weekend, there’s every excuse to fire up the barbecue or lay out a picnic blanket. National BBQ Week kicks off from Memorial Day on Monday (in the US), while the UK enjoys another well-timed May Bank Holiday.

Expand your outdoor cooking repertoire with our Master Fish and Shellfish on the Grill collection that induces the likes of Grilled Sea Bream with Chermoula and Beech-Smoked Mackerel.

While our Crowd-pleasing Barbecues collection serves up Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, or tasty Jerk Chicken from Virginia Burke's Walkerswood Caribbean Kitchen.

Plus, ckbk's In Praise of the Picnic collection brings Picnic Meatballs, Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls and a Chicken, Basil and Courgette Tart to the party.

Finish it all off with a Banoffee Pie or Chocolate and Cherry Brownie Tart from our Family-Style Desserts for your Memorial Day Weekend collection.

Visit ckbk’s crowd-pleasing barbecue collection

Pictured above: Barbecued Beef Fillet with Sweet Potatoes & Grilled Mushrooms from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros

Bunbelievable burger books

Whether you're firing up your grill for the long weekend or getting creative in the kitchen, ckbk’s burger books bring big flavor, bold ideas and serious patty potential. From regional American classics to inventive veggie stacks and global fusions, you’re sure to find something to sink your teeth into.

George Motz's The Great American Burger Book is a great place to start whether you're into a straight up Griddle-Smashed Classic Cheeseburger or fancy a Jucy Lucy (that is with the cheese inside the burger patty, not on top).

Lukas Volger's updated, expanded edition of the first-ever veggie burger cookbook, Veggie Burgers Every Which Way boasts more than 30 delicious plant-based burgers including Easy Bean Burgers, Tofu and Chard Burgers, and flavor-packed Cashew-Leek Burgers with Bulgur and Lentils.

Or, for even more beyond a beef patty in a bun, try Paul Gayler's Burgers, which includes a Tandoori Lamb Burger, Miso-basted Salmon Burger, and many other delicious ideas.

Let there be light!

iPhone photography expert Rupa Nagamootoo returns with the second installment of Food Photography with Rupa: 7 Steps to Standout Food Content, her series designed to help you elevate your food visuals using just your phone.

In keeping with this week’s bunbelievable burgers, her burger shoot setup shows just how much of a difference a DIY reflector can make. With clear, practical tips and real-life photo comparisons, this guide is your go-to for mastering light—and making your food content shine.

Read the latest installment of Rupa Nagamootoo’s series

Watch Prue Leith's Handy Hacks

We recently added Prue Leith's Life's too Short to Cook a Mushroom to ckbk and the ‘Handy Hacks’ that Prue provides are exactly what they say on the tin: good food without the fuss. 68 of the recipes include or reference one of these Handy Hacks and many of them have video. In the print edition of the book, this takes the form of a QR code link, but we've been able to embed the videos directly below the written hack - a cherry on the top for ckbk users!

Hacks include anything from lining a baking tray (scroll down this Malteser Rocky Road recipe to see what we mean) to peeling ginger with a spoon (as per Hot-and-Sour Vegetable Noodle Soup) to preparing fish “en papillotte”.

Read Prue Leith's latest book in full on ckbk

Ingredient focus: fava beans

Broad beans - or fava beans - are spring’s plump, green signal that the season is shifting. Cultivated since ancient times and once steeped in superstition, they’re now a much-loved ingredient in modern kitchens. At their best when young and tender, broad beans can be eaten raw, lightly blanched, or mashed with olive oil and lemon.

Try Fava Bean and Dill Meatballs, Broad Bean Crostini, or a vibrant Broad Bean, Pea and Fennel Tagine. With our 12 Ways with Broad Beans collection, there’s no shortage of delicious ways to enjoy this ancient bean’s brief but brilliant season.

6 veggie barbecue ideas

Turnip the heat with these smoky, meat-free BBQ stars! Charred corn on the
cob, sticky-sweet Korean barbecue broccoli and golden halloumi skewers
bring bold flavor to every bite. Add grilled tofu, grilled mushrooms and melt-in-
your-mouth aubergine slices for an un-beet-able plant-powered feast.

Newsletter: 🍔 Beautiful burgers inside and out + handy hacks on video 🎥

A weekend of grilling, barbecues and picnics!

Bunbelievable burger books

Let there be light!

Watch Prue Leith's Handy Hacks

Ingredient focus: fava beans

6 veggie barbecue ideas

Barbecued Corn

Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

Mixed Mushroom Grill

Whole Barbecue Ginger Spiced Tofu & Greens

Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers

Korean Barbecue Roasted Broccoli