So this post is the first in a new series called ‘Brits in the kitchen’. As you can probably guess, it’ll be all about British food! It makes me a little sad that British food has an unsavoury reputation around the world. There are some really delicious classic dishes with a lot of history that goes with them!
My boyfriend calls me Captain Wartime because many of my favourite meals originated out of necessity due to rationing. This particular recipe’s history goes back much further than that though!
Welsh Rarebit is a super simple idea and has existed in some form since at least the 1500s! I read that some people suggest that it originated in the South Wales Valleys, which is incidentally where I went to University 🙂They do love this down there.
There’s even a 16th-century tale that talks about how God asked Saint Peter to get rid of the Welsh from heaven as they were causing a big fuss. So Saint Peter stood outside the Pearly Gates and shouted “caws pobi!”, which is the Welsh name for Welsh Rarebit, and all the Welshmen in heaven came running out excitedly so Saint Peter could shut the gates behind them! To be fair, I’d come running if someone was offering me melted cheese on toast as well…
The first recorded reference of ‘Welsh Rarebit’ was in 1725, where it was actually called ‘Welsh rabbit’ – despite there being no actual rabbit in it! Apparently it was quite normal in the late 17th and early 18th century for the English to give ridiculous fancy names to foods and dish common to a region or profession. Whatever they got a kick out of, I guess!
So! Little brief history of this modest little lunch. Modest it may be, but the Welsh love it so much that it even has it’s own national day… From now on, we will all celebrate September 3rd as Welsh Rarebit Day. Or just every day for that matter.
Here’s my version. I added chives and bacon because nothing was ever made worse with the addition of bacon.
Enjoy!
Grace x
Bacon Welsh Rarebit
Ingredients
Instructions
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Put the slices of bacon on a baking tray in the oven at 180 degrees C (325 degrees F) and bake for 10-15 minutes until very crisp.
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In a bowl, mash together the cheese, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, flour and pepper. Once mixed well, add in the milk.
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Add the mixture into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until all the cheese is melted. Stir constantly. When it’s a thick paste, stop stirring and take it off the heat. Leave it to cool.
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Meanwhile, put the bread under the grill (on the same tray as the bacon was on for flavour!) for a couple of minutes until it’s lightly toasted on one side.
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Chop up the crispy bacon and add to the cheese mixture. Add the chives to the mix as well.
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Once the bread is toasted, divide the cheese mix and spread it over the un-toasted sides of the bread slices.
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Put the toast back under the grill and let it heat for 3-5 minutes until the cheese mixture is bubbling a little bit brown on top.
