A grown-up open-faced cheese toast built on bread that already tastes like Wales. The shelf gives you flavour; you add a quick, tangy sauce and broil it to bubbling. Supper in twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 420 calories a serving, 19 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 36 g fat. From USDA figures for 71% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Preheat the broiler to high. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, for one minute until it no longer smells raw.
2. Whisk in 1/4 cup beer or ale slowly until the sauce is smooth, then add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.3 min
3. Slice the loaf into four half-inch-thick slices and lay them on a baking sheet. Broil for two minutes until they are lightly toasted and dry.2 min
4. Spread the hot cheese sauce thickly over each slice, then broil for three to four minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden at the edges, watching carefully so it does not burn.4 min

Note Swap the beer for milk or stock if you prefer. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for two days; reheat gently under the broiler. Serve with a sharp salad, pickled onions, or mustard on the side to cut the richness.