Welsh Rarebit Soufflés

A light souffléd version of this classic Brit toasted cheese dish, which many people pronounce ‘rabbit’! This is made with Caerphilly, because it's Welsh. That's the only part of this recipe that purists will like, but then there are people who care that passionately about whether it's Rarebit or Rabbit and whether it's Welsh or not - or even, indeed, whether the name of the dish was originally a slur on the Welsh. Personally, I think the purists are twats, but there you go.

Change the cheese, change the taste - there's a whole world of wacky experiments out there (dolcelatte, a nasty little mature and ammoniac tomme, parmesan)

Don't stint on the bread. Cut thick slices from a loaf, don't use plastic bread slices. Ideally, make the bread yourself. Be a purist, dammit, but one that cares about the things that matter, not a nomenclaturist pedant!

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bread
• 10g butter
• 10g plain flour
• 6 tbsp milk
• 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 50g Caerphilly
• 1 tsp seed mustard
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly grated black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, blend in the flour and add the milk carefully, stirring to avoid lumps. When the mixture has started to thicken, beat the egg yolks, then stir the mustard, the Worcestershire sauce and the yolks into the milk mixture. Remove from the heat and add the cheese.

Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until they form peaks, and then fold these into the cheese mixture using the largest metal spoon you can find. Toast one side of the bread slices (you can remove the crust for a touch of ‘elegance’!), then coat the other side with the mousse. Grill the slices until the topping has puffed up and browned, then serve covered with plenty of pepper.