Welsh rarebit has been a staple quick meal all through my life, on a par with beans on toast or scrambled eggs.

Usually we have fresh bread and a soft cheese for Saturday lunch along with a sherry or Madeira but last weekend there was enough of our toasting bread remaining and some local Cheddar cheese, so all seemed right for making Welsh rarebit.

My mother made excellent Welsh rarebit but I note that most recipes do not use milk and flour as she did but simply crumble or slice cheese onto toast. Butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beer may also feature. Mrs Beeton’s Dictionary of Every Day Cookery (1865) sets the standard.

‘Cut the (white) bread into slices about ½ in in thickness; pare off the crust, toast the bread slightly without hardening or burning it, and spread it with butter. Cut some slices, not quite so large as the bread, from a good rich fat cheese; lay them on the toasted bread in a cheese -toaster; be careful that the cheese does not burn, and let it be equally melted.Spread over the top a little made mustard and a seasoning of pepper, and serve very hot, with very hot plates. Note: Should the cheese be dry, a little butter mixed with it will be an improvement.’

My mother made a thick roux in which to melt the grated cheese. This is the version I love best.

4 thick slices white bread
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
50g butter
50g plain flour
100ml milk
100ml beer
A good shake Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp English mustard
Black pepper

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes for the flour to cook. Slowly add the milk and beer to make a thick, smooth sauce. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper.

Lightly butter the toast and place on a baking tray. Divide the cheesy mixture between the slices of toast and bake or grill for a few minutes or until the sauce is browned and bubbling.

Variations can be to mix leeks (finely cut and sweated in butter and very little oil) into the sauce or by putting a poached egg on top (Buck Rabbit) or placing a rasher of fried bacon between the toast and cheese (Yorkshire Rabbit). Slices of tomato can also be put on top of the cheese mixture. There is even Peter Rabbit where two tablespoons of pesto replace the mustard and white wine is used instead of beer.