Welsh rarebit: our traditional recipe

Sometimes it's the simplest of foods that bring the greatest pleasure, and Welsh rarebit serves as a testament to this maxim.

Supposedly named as a tongue-in-cheek joke that the Welsh couldn’t afford to eat real rabbit (and therefore had to eat cheese), Welsh rarebit is, at its heart, cheese on toast. Yet the dish has spawned something of a culinary cult throughout Wales, to the point where the delicacy even has its own national day of celebration (3 September, for the record).

The Welsh have had a soft spot for cheese since medieval times, with the English Tudor poet John Skelton quipping that the only way to get a Welshman out of heaven was to lure him out with some spread over toast. It’s no surprise then that Welsh rarebit (or Welsh rabbit, as it is also written) is recorded as being eaten in Wales as far back as the 18th century. 

What was once a simple wad of cheese on warmed bread, however, has now matured into a much more refined creation, typically enriched with ingredients like mustard and ale – while some daring recipes even call for the addition of champagne!

Welsh rarebit is most commonly plated up as a lunchtime meal, with a simple side salad for company. The dish has also found favour as a late-night snack, with the esteemed author Charles Dickens said to have been partial to a slice after indulging in a few ales! Of course, the most fitting time to tuck into the delicacy is on Welsh Rarebit Day, which is marked annually on 3 September, one of the quirkier dates in the Welsh calendar.

Most recipes nowadays state mature cheddar should be used as the all-important cheese for Welsh rarebit, and it does work well. However, the lactic tang of a proper Welsh Caerphilly is truly delicious in a rarebit, though its crumbly texture does mean it can be less successful at creating that desired gooey, stringy consistency the dish requires. A solution is to use a combination of 50:50 cheddar and Caerphilly, which is my general recommendation when following the recipe below.

For the types of cheese, I have found a particularly good combination is a 50:50 mix of Gorwydd Caerphilly (sold by Trethowan Brothers Dairy) and Celtic Promise (made by award-winning Welsh cheesemaker Caws Teifi). The latter is actually a washed rind Caerphilly cheese, as opposed to a mature cheddar, but the way it is aged breaks down the cheese and gives it a perfect melting consistency. If you want to stick with cheddar however, Hafod cheddar (from Holden Farm Dairy in Mid Wales) is a great alternative choice to pair with the Gorwydd.

When it comes to selecting the beer for your rarebit, stout is optimal, particularly The Gower Brewery’s Black Diamond stout, which makes a fine rarebit. However, a bitter (such as Landmark Best Bitter from Hafod Brewing Company) works equally well. Taste your beer before adding it into the mixture: if you think it has a pronounced bitter note, toss a pinch of sugar into the pan when you add the beer.  

This rarebit recipe keeps things pretty traditional (not straying too far from the staple ingredients of cheese, ale and mustard), but feel free to experiment with different rarebits: an unconventional version made with cider, slow cooked leeks and cockles is particularly good!

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes (plus time for mixture to cool) | Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

15g butter

2 tsp plain flour

1 tsp English mustard powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Good glug of Worchester sauce, plus extra to serve

150ml Welsh beer

Pinch of sugar (if desired)

300g cheese of choice, ideally a 50:50 mix of Caerphilly and cheddar (see ‘notes from the chef’ section above for more details)

4 thick slices of good quality white sandwich bread

Method

Step 1: Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook together for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Now add the mustard powder, cayenne pepper and a good glug of Worchester sauce. Stir before adding the beer and cook out the flour for a couple of minutes stirring.

Step 3: Turn down the heat to low and add the cheese into the mixture one handful at a time until all the cheese is melted. Do not be tempted to add the cheese all in one go as this makes the mixture more prone to split. Leave to cool. (If required, this mixture can be made in advance and used cold from the fridge.)

Step 4: Preheat a grill to high and toast the four pieces of bread on both sides. Now divide the rarebit mix into four and spread on the toast. The mixture should prove ample and may be more than you need depending on the size of the bread.

Step 5: Toast under the grill until the cheese is molten and bubbling. Score the top of the cheese with a knife and douse with Worchester sauce as required.

Step 6: Serve with a leafy salad with a mustard dressing for a delectable light lunch – you could even add a fried egg on top. Alternatively, serve with some fine chutney as a post dinner cheese course.

This recipe was researched and tested by chef Alex Vines. Alex developed his signature “simple yet attentive” cooking style during a decade working in renowned London restaurants. Originally from Cardiff, Alex champions the use of seasonal and local produce, mirroring the principles of traditional Welsh recipes. Follow Alex on Instagram.