Mince is sometimes regarded as a pretty humble meat, but it can be one of the most economical and versatile weapons in your culinary arsenal, because it can be dressed up or down according to the occasion, from plain mince to go with potatoes and vegetables, to some fairly gourmet productions and a lot of tasty dishes in between. Remember, too, that you can also get lamb, pork and chicken mince, which are also useful and nice for a change.

Traditionally mince is at the lower end of the cost scale of meat, with prices varying according to leanness, so be aware of what you are buying. With leaner, albeit more expensive, mince, youget morefor your money, as less is lost when draining off the fat. Top of the range mince containing less than 10% fat qualifies for the Quality Mark and the Heart Foundation’s 'Pick the Tick'. Remember you can alternate with lamb mince for variety and, again, the same applies…the more expensive the meat, the less fat and waste.

You can use trimmings from leftover meat to make your own mince to use in pies, patties, cottage pie or meat loaves.

Minced meat and hamburger patties should be thoroughly cooked to an internal temp of 70deg Celsius; don’t serve mince undercooked, rare or pink.

There is a mince chapter in my book 'Hot Ideas for Beef and Lamb’, with 12 interesting, easy recipes and you’ll find more mince recipes on the NZ Beef and Lamb’s http://www.recipes.co.nz/ website.

How many things can you think of to make with mince? We’ve come up with burgers, meat loaves, shepherd’s pie, collops, savoury mince topped with pancake batter, curries, bolognaise sauce, pies, Middle Eastern style minced lamb kofta, meatballs.

Some of the favourites in my family include Quick Cottage Pie, Beef Carbonnade with French bread topping, Chicken Satays with Grated Coconut, Kiwi Pie, Pork and Apple Burgers.

So don’t let your family turn their noses up at mince; it’s the magic meat for all occasions, so easy to prepare and cook and delicious as well.