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The McDonald's filet-o-fish is arguably one of the most divisive and much maligned menu items the chain has to offer. It's the marmite of the McDonald's world, you either love it or you hate it.

Before making this video I can honestly say I'd never tried a filet-o-fish before, and after giving the McDonald’s version a taste...I won't be trying it again. It was pretty bland, uninspiring and the fillet of fish itself was pretty mushy and unpleasant. Also, as you will see in this video the sandwich looked like it was assembled by a drunk! So I figured I could easily make a filet-o-fish...but way better! I used some nice fresh cod, fried in panko breadcrumbs for that awesome crunch. A fresh homemade tartar sauce as well.

McDonald's steam the buns for theirs, but I used brioche buns which are very soft anyway, so I didn't need to do that step. If you like the McDonald's filet-o-fish then you're going to LOVE my version.

To make my filet-o-fish that's better than McDonald's you will need:

For the tartar sauce:

• About 4 tbsp of mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp of chopped gherkins (dill pickles)

• 1 tbsp of chopped capers

• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

• About 2 tbsp of chopped parsley

• About 1 tbsp of chopped dill

• Salt & pepper

For the filet-o-fish (there's enough breadcrumbs/flour to make about 4 sandwiches

• 2-4 skinless cod loins

• 50g of panko breadcrumbs

• 50g of plain all purpose flour

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for frying

• Processed American cheese

• Brioche buns

Method:

Prepare the tartare sauce

1. Chop the pickles, capers, parsley and dill and add to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise a pinch of salt and the lemon juice.

2. Mix well, cover it with cling film and leave in the fridge until needed. A good tip is to leave it for a good hour to let the flavours develop.

Breading the filet-o-fish

1. First take your cod fillets and lightly season with salt

2. Then set up your breading station by adding the flour, breadcrumbs and cracking the eggs into 3 separate bowls.

3. Then take each piece of fish and lightly dust in the flour, shake off any excess, then lightly dip into the egg, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure to lightly press the breadcrumbs into the fish for better contact. Place the fish on to a plate and repeat with the other piece.

To fry the fish

1. Take a large frying pan and add around half an inch of sunflower or vegetable oil. We are going to shallow fry these so don’t add too much oil.

2. Once the oil is at a medium heat, gently place the breaded fish into the oil laying away from you to avoid being splashed with hot oil!

3. Gently fry them for around 4-5 minutes each side until cooked all the way through, and the coating is nice and golden. Times will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. You can also use a probe for more accuracy. Once cooked take them out and place on kitchen paper to soak off any excess oil.

Assemble the filet-o-fish!

1. Take the bottom half of your bun, and place a slice of American cheese on top. Yes that’s right McDonald’s a WHOLE slice not a piddly half slice!

2. Place one of the fish pieces on top of the cheese, then slather over as much of the tartare sauce as you like before placing on the top half of the bun.

Enjoy with some fries and there you have my version of the classic McDonald’s Filet-o-fish!

Following on from my last McDonald's copycat, this week we are tackling the classic double cheeseburger. Currently on the savers menu for £2.29 (as of July 2025), it's pretty cheap in it's own right. But I'm not going to take that lying down, so with a little bit of clever shopping, I've got these down to around £1 each!

To make the double cheeseburger you will need:

Makes 4

• 500g of 20% or 25% minced beef

• 4 burger buns

• 8 cheese slices

• 1 small onion

• Gherkins

• Mustard

• Ketchup

Method:

Make the burger patties

1. Weigh out the mince into 62g portions and form them into balls with your hands, this should make around 8 balls. Make sure you don’t press the balls together too hard, just gently form them. Otherwise if you over-work the beef they will become tough and dense.

2. Form each patty by pressing out each ball with your hands or using a burger press. You want them quite thin around the thickness of a £1 coin, and make sure they are wider than your buns to allow for shrinkage. Stack them up with a piece of baking paper in-between each patty and place them in the fridge until needed.

Do your prep

1. Get everything sliced and diced, as these burgers come together really quickly. Dice the onion nice and fine, and slice your pickles.

2. Also toast your buns by lightly buttering each half and placing them butter side down in a dry pan for a minute or so. You want a nice golden brown colour on them but not burnt.

Make the burgers

1. Take a frying pan and get it nice and hot, you almost want to see smoke coming off it. You shouldn’t need any oil as there will be enough fat in the beef. Add in each patty - you may need to do this in batches - and season one side with salt and pepper.

2. Cook on one side for about a minute before flipping over and adding one slice of cheese to each patty. Leave to cook again for around one minute.

3. Next, turn the heat off and stack one patty on top of the other. The residual heat in the pan should melt the cheese nicely.

Assemble your double cheeseburger!

1. Lay the double patty on the bottom half of your toasted bun. Then add mustard, ketchup, diced onion and pickles to the underside of the top bun. Then simply slap it on top of your burger, and enjoy!

Serve with fries or enjoy on it’s own!

The big mac has to be one of the worlds most recognised burgers. Even if you've never had one, you've almost certainly heard of it. The McDonald's big mac is a simple but effect burger, with it's 2 beef patties, lettuce, onion, pickles, cheese and that iconic sauce. Now the sauce is actually really simple to make. In fact McDonald's themselves have made a video on how it's made.

The problem with that video is it didn't give you any quantities, but don't worry I got your back! As I said in the video, I have many fond memories of the big mac. Although I rarely eat them these days, I just have a feeling of nostalgia come over me whenever I see one. That's the great thing about food, is it's a direct connection to your emotions and parts of your life - good or bad - just like music.

Now some quick tips on how to make your own big mac at home. One thing I had a little difficulty with was buying the green pickle relish. Most burger relishes in the UK see to be of the red kind, which is not what we want for a big mac burger sauce. I did find some though at Mark's & Spencer's but I do believe Sainsbury's and some of the bigger supermarkets stock a version of green pickle relish, so you might have to hunt around a bit. Another tip, is to buy good beef! Go to the butcher and get the best you can afford, because it will make your burgers so much better.

To make a big mac burger you will need:

Makes 1 big mac

• 200g of good quality ground beef

• Finely diced white onion

• Sliced iceberg lettuce

• Sesame seeded burger buns cut into 3, or use 2 bases and 1 top

• 3 slices of gherkins (pickles)

• 1 slice or processed cheese or American cheese

For the sauce

• 4 tbsp of good mayonnaise

• 1/4 tbsp of green pickle relish

• 1/4 tbsp of American mustard

• 1/4 tbsp of white distilled vinegar

• 1/2 tsp of onion powder

• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp of paprika

The double cheese burger is iconic with those big yellow arches. It's simple, but it does taste good. I very rarely eat Mcdonald's though, as for some reason, it plays havoc with my gut. I normally feel sick, and just generally not very good at all after having one. So I've come to the conclusion, that the only way to remedy this problem is to make my own. Now when it comes to a good cheeseburger, I am very much a purist. I've seen far too many gourmet type burgers, with all sorts of things piled on them, like onion rings, blue cheese, even foie gras....FOIE GRAS! I'm of the opinion that simplicity works best with a cheeseburger, and the question I would ask myself when thinking about adding loads of extras is...will it make it better, and if the answer is 'I'm not sure', then it probably won't. American processed cheese is the cheese of choice for any self respecting cheeseburger, as it just works, plain and simple. Yes you could add all sorts of different cheeses, but it just isn't the same. Yep, I know it's not real cheese, but it is good.

To make my McDonald’s copycat double cheeseburger you will need:

• 450g (1lb) of really high grade steak mince (ground beef)

• 1/2 a small white onion

• 1-2 Gherkins (pickles)

• 4 slices of processed cheese

• 2 soft white burger buns

• Ketchup

• American mustard

• Salt & pepper

Method:

Prepare the burger patties

1. Place the beef mince into a bowl and season with salt & pepper, then mix well.

2. Divide the beef into equal sized balls, then press out into patties making sure they are larger than the buns to allow for shrinkage.

3. Place the patties in-between pieces of baking paper and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up.

Prep your toppings

1. Slice your onion, diced your pickles and toast your buns. Make sure everything is ready to hand, as this will make your life so much easier when making the burgers.

Cook the patties

1. Heat a little oil in a pan over high heat.

2. Season patties lightly with extra salt if desired.

3. Fry for 1–2 minutes per side, or until a crust forms and they are cooked through to your liking.

4. Add a slice of cheese to each patty, and stack one on top of the other. Turn off the heat and leave the cheese to melt in the residual heat.

Assemble the burgers

1. Load your patties on to the base of your bun.

2. Add ketchup, American mustard, the onions and pickle slices.

3. Then pop the lid on and it’s done!

Serve and enjoy

The McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin is an iconic breakfast menu item. It has been feeding people since 1975 and It’s incredibly popular. But...In the UK at least it's currently £3.39 for a double! For ONE single muffin. That can really mount up to quite an expensive breakfast especially if you take the whole family. So I have revived my old recipe, so you can easily make the iconic sausage and egg mcmuffin at home for a fraction of the cost. A tip for you, once the patty mix has been combined, take a pinch off and fry it. Taste it, and if you want more salt, herbs, pepper you can add more before forming into patties.

To make my double sausage and egg McMuffin you will need:

Makes 4 doubles

• 500g pork mince 12% fat

• 4 Cheese slices

• 4 eggs for frying

• 4 breakfast Muffins

• 1/2 tbsp of onion powder

• 1/2 tbsp dried sage

• 1 tsp of fresh or dried thyme

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

Method:

Make the sausage patties

1. Add the pork mince to a mixing bowl and add the onion powder, sage, thyme and a little salt and pepper. Mix well, and fry off a small piece in a pan and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

2. Once the mixture is well combined and you are happy with the seasonings, weigh the mixture out into balls of around 62g each. This should make about 8 balls.

3. Form each ball into a patty by pressing them out flat, making sure they are a good half an inch bigger than the width of your muffins. This allows for any shrinkage, and means your patty will fit nicely in the finished muffin.

4. Place each patty in-between a square of baking parchment and store in the fridge for when you need them. They also freeze really well too.

Toast the muffins

1. This recipe will make around 8 singles or 4 doubles, so work out how many muffins you need and cut each one in half.

2. Spread a small amount of butter or oil on to each side of the muffin, and toast in a medium hot dry pan until lightly toasted. Place a slice of American cheese on the base part of the muffin and set to one side.

Fry off the patties

1. Take a large frying pan and put onto a medium high heat. Once hot, add your sausage patties and fry off for around 1-2 minutes each side. You want a nice golden brown crust to form on each side as that equals flavour.

2. Once the patties are cooked and still piping hot, lay 1 or 2 on top of the cheese. This will start to melt it, making it nice and gooey.

To finish up!

1. Using the same pan, put it back on the heat and add a little oil if needed.

2. Crack in however many eggs you need, but you may need to do this in batches depending on how many you are making. Fry the eggs for about a minute, basting the top to set it but making sure the yolk stays runny.

3. Then simply top the patties with the fried egg, pop the lid on and enjoy!

These are great for breakfast, lunch or enjoyed on park bench at 3am as you ponder your life choices!