Welsh Rarebit
A savoury sauce of cheese, ale and mustard, spread on toast and grilled until bubbling and golden.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Makes
- 4 slices
- Difficulty
- Easy
Welsh rarebit is far more than cheese on toast: the cheese is melted into a thick sauce with ale, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then grilled on toast until it blisters. The dish was recorded as "Welsh rabbit" in the early 18th century (there is no rabbit in it). "Rarebit" came later.
Use a well-flavoured hard cheese. A mature Welsh Cheddar is ideal; some cooks mix in Caerphilly for a lighter, crumblier tang.
Ingredients
- 25gbutter
- 25gplain flour
- 150mlale or stout, or milk
- 1tspEnglish mustard
- 2tspWorcestershire sauce, plus extra to serve
- 175gmature Cheddar, grated
- 1egg yolk
- ground black pepper
- 4thick slices of bread, sourdough or a good bloomer
Equipment
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Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to make a smooth paste (a roux).
Photo: Roger469 · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - 2
Gradually whisk in the ale a little at a time until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Photo: Saintfevrier · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - 3
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the grated cheese, mustard and Worcestershire sauce until melted. Beat in the egg yolk and season with pepper. It should be thick enough to spread.
Photo: Annie Mole · CC BY 2.0 (cropped) - 4
Heat the grill to high. Toast the bread on both sides.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain - 5
Spread the cheese mixture thickly over the toast, right to the edges so the crusts don't burn. Grill for 2–3 minutes until bubbling and speckled brown. Serve at once, with an extra dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Photo: Worm That Turned · CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
Tips
Make ahead: the cheese mixture keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Spread it straight from the fridge and grill a minute longer.
Buck rarebit: top each slice with a poached egg.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce went stringy or oily | Cheese overheated | Add the cheese off the heat and stir only until melted |
| Topping slid off the toast | Sauce too thin | Cook the roux-and-ale base a little longer, or add more cheese |
