From the ancient Egyptians who served watercress juice to their slaves to increase productivity and the 17th Century herbalist Culpepper who used it as a tonic to cleanse the blood, to the Victorians who created the first watercress sandwich and the modern British beauty, Elizabeth Hurley who claims watercress soup is the key to her famous physique.

Watercress, the UK’s most historic leaf, is brimming with more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals. It contains more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and is packed with useful anti-oxidants which leave you looking and feeling great. New research also shows it is emerging as an important player in the field of cancer prevention. This luscious leaf is also low in fat, tastes great and is so incredibly versatile you can use it in anything from soups to sandwiches to salads and stir-fries.

To celebrate 200 years of UK Watercress Farming, the industry has produced an Anniversary Book, “Watercress”. The book contains history, facts, folklore and nutritional info on watercress, as well as over 30 recipes including 5 exclusive recipes and a foreword by Antony Worrall Thompson (who is a great fan of watercress). I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of the book and we tried out this unusual but delicious watercress recipe.

Watercress Burgers

For the burgers
1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled
1 tspn olive oil
85g watercress
675g lean minced beef
1 tbspn Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
4 buns

For the watercress butter
85g watercress
100g unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets
2 Tbspn ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic and drizzle over the olive oil, then bake for 20 minutes, or until the garlic is tender. Cool, then separate the cloves of garlic and squeeze the pulp from each: place in a bowl.

Whilst the garlic roasts, make the watercress butter: finely chop the watercress and mash into the butter with the shallot, anchovies and almonds. Season with pepper. Roll the butter in greaseproof paper to form a sausage shape, and freeze for 20 minutes.

Make the burgers: finely chop half the watercress and mix with the roasted garlic, minced beef and mustard. Season with sale and plenty of ground black pepper. Divide into 4 portions and shape each one into a 2.5cm thick burger. Cut the chilled watercress butter into 4 pieces. Make an indentation in each burger and place a nugget of butter in the centre. Shape the mince to enclose the butter inside the burger. Chill in the fridge until ready to cook.

Grill, pan-fry, griddle or barbecue the burgers to your liking, turning once: 4 minutes each side for rare; 6 minutes each side for medium; 8 minutes each side for well done. Set aside to stand for 5 minutes.

Split the buns and toast the insides. Fill them with the burgers and remaining watercress.

These are very nice burgers but be sure to season very well and choose watercress with some substance to it!  My watercress was very disappointing, it was not very flavourful and a lot of the watercress taste was lost in the butter.

The book is available to buy from www.watercress.co.uk and Amazon priced at £6.99+P&P.

You can grow your own watercress, click here to see how.

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