Little Colonel

Little Colonel Cheese on Toast

A simple British cheese-on-toast preparation that lets the sharp, crumbly character of Little Colonel take centre stage. Served open-faced, it is a comforting teatime classic from the UK countryside.

Prep

5 min

Cook

8 min

Total

13 min

Serves

2

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) Little Colonel cheese, substitute: aged English farmhouse cheddar if unavailable
• •4 ml (1 tsp) English mustard powder, or null
• •5 ml (1 tsp) Worcestershire sauce, or null
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) double cream, or whole milk
• •2 g (pinch) ground black pepper, or null
• •2 g (pinch) sea salt, or null
• •4 slice (4 slices) sourdough bread, about 2 cm thick, or null

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the grill (broiler) to medium-high and position the rack about 15 cm (6 in) from the heat source.
2. 2 Grate the Little Colonel cheese finely on a box grater and place in a small bowl.
3. 3 Add the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, double cream, black pepper and a tiny pinch of sea salt. Stir until the cheese is evenly coated and forms a thick, spreadable paste; the cream should just bind the cheese without making it runny.
4. 4 Lay the sourdough slices on a foil-lined baking tray and toast one side under the grill for 1–2 minutes until just pale gold; remove from the grill.
5. 5 Divide the cheese mixture evenly over the untoasted side of each slice, spreading it to the edges in an even layer about 5 mm thick.
6. 6 Return the tray to the grill and cook for 4–5 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is bubbling, lightly browned in patches and completely melted through to the bread.
7. 7 Doneness cue: the cheese should be molten with no chalky streaks when lifted at the edge, and the surface should show a few crisp brown spots. Serve immediately while hot, so the cheese stays soft and stretchy.