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Cheesy Vegetarian

Perfect Welsh Rarebit

A traditional British recipe, this perfect Welsh rarebit is the ultimate quick and easy lunch – made with a gooey cheese sauce, and grilled to perfection on crispy bread.

Two slices of cheesy Welsh rarebit on a plate with tomatoes and lettuce.

If there was ever a recipe that wholly embodies the name of this website, ‘easy cheesy vegetarian’, it’s Welsh rarebit – and since I’m half Welsh, I thought it was fitting that I share this recipe. It’s such a simple one, but if you’re a fan of gooey cheese, it’s really rather spectacular, and makes a perfect easy lunch.

Two slices of cheesy Welsh rarebit on a place with tomatoes and lettuce.

Is Welsh rarebit the same as cheese on toast?

We Brits are known for our ‘does what it says on the tin’ kind of recipes, and cheese on toast is one of our best.

It’s cheese.
On toast.

You really don’t need a recipe for it.

But Welsh rarebit isn’t quite the same as a standard cheese on toast. It’s a little more interesting – and a lot more delicious – because it uses a gooey cheese sauce, rather than plain slices of cheese.

A slice of Welsh rarebit cut in half on a chopping board.

What is Welsh rarebit?

There are a million stories about how Welsh rarebit came about, where it got its bizarre name from (it’s also sometimes known as ‘Welsh rabbit’ – don’t worry, no rabbits were harmed in the making of this dish), and even whether it’s truly Welsh or not.

But wherever it came from, it’s an incredible dish that deserves to be shared.

Welsh rarebit begins with a super thick cheese sauce, smeared over a crispy piece of toast, and grilled until it’s golden brown on top.

It only takes a few minutes more than regular cheese on toast, and it’s totally worth the extra effort.

Aerial shot of a slice of cheesy Welsh rarebit on a cutting board.

How to make perfect Welsh rarebit

There are all sorts of different recipes for Welsh rarebit.

Some use beer, some don’t.
Some use real mustard, and others use mustard powder, or even no mustard at all.
Some recipes use Welsh cheese and others just use cheddar…

Nobody can really agree on just one Welsh rarebit recipe.

So this is just my version!

A thick white sauce in a saucepan.

Step 1: Make a thick white sauce

I begin with a really simple béchamel sauce (white sauce). You can find step-by-step instructions for how to make a white sauce here, but it’s essentially just flour cooked in butter, with some milk added.

You can swap a little of the milk out for some beer, if you want some real indulgence.

You need to make the sauce quite a bit thicker than you would if you were making, say, macaroni cheese – otherwise, it will all drip straight off the bread and you’ll end up with a big mess. A tasty mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Instead, the sauce should be thick and spreadable – more of a paste, really.

Grated cheese and black pepper being added to a white sauce in a saucepan.

Step 2: Add cheese and mustard

Of course, you can’t have Welsh rarebit without plenty of cheese.

Choose a good quality cheese with plenty of flavour. I went for an extra mature cheddar, but a Welsh cheese like Caerphilly would be fitting too!

I also added a dollop of mustard and plenty of black pepper.

Stir it well until the cheese has melted into the sauce and it’s all thick and gooey.

Cheesy Welsh rarebit sauce in a saucepan.

Step 3: Spread it on toast, and grill

You can use any type of bread for Welsh rarebit, but I like to use something a bit more special than a mass-produced white loaf. This time I used some slices from a nice crusty bloomer loaf.

I like to pre-toast the bread, so it gets crispy on the underside. Then, spread the thick cheese sauce on top.

Welsh rarebit sauce spread over some slices of bread on a baking tray.

Pop the tray under the grill (broiler) for a few minutes until the cheese sauce is bubbly and hot, with crispy golden brown patches on top.

Slices of crispy Welsh rarebit on a baking tray.

All that’s left to do is eat!

How to serve Welsh rarebit

In my eyes, Welsh rarebit is definitely a lunch dish, so I don’t tend to do anything fancy with it.

Just a bit of salad on the side is perfect – perhaps some lettuce, tomatoes, or cucumber.

A lot of people splash their Welsh rarebit with a few drips of Worcestershire sauce just before serving. The issue is that Worcestershire sauce isn’t actually vegetarian – but Henderson’s relish is a good vegan substitute. It’s a pretty specialist ingredient, but you can find it online if needed (Amazon US* / Amazon UK*).

Two slices of cheese on toast on a plate with tomatoes and salad.

Print

Perfect Welsh Rarebit

A traditional British recipe, this perfect Welsh rarebit is the ultimate quick and easy lunch – made with a gooey cheese sauce, and grilled to perfection on crispy bread.
Course Light lunch
Cuisine British, Welsh
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 472kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices good quality crusty bread
  • 1 Tbsp (~ 15g) butter
  • 1 Tbsp plain flour
  • 120 ml (~ 1/2 cup) milk (or you can swap a little of the liquid for beer if you like)
  • 75 g mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 3/4 cup when grated)
  • 1 tsp mustard (I used Dijon)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Begin by laying the slices of bread on a baking tray, and placing them under the grill (broiler), set to a medium-high heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until one side of the bread is golden brown and crispy. Then, turn each slice over and remove from the grill.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the flour. Mix well for 30 seconds, then add half of the milk. Stir well until the sauce is smooth, then add the remaining milk and mix again. The mixture should thicken up into a smooth, thick paste.
  • Add the grated cheese, mustard, and black pepper. Cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly, until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Spoon the sauce onto the untoasted side of each piece of bread, gently pushing it to the edges with the back of the spoon (don’t worry if it spills over the edges a bit!).
  • Place back under the grill (broiler) for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese sauce is just beginning to brown. Serve immediately.

Notes

For a richer flavour, you can replace a little of the milk with a splash of beer (light or dark, depending on how strong you want the flavour to be). As this is such a simple recipe, make sure you use a good quality bread and a flavourful mature cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.1g | Protein: 19.1g | Fat: 22.9g | Saturated Fat: 13.2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 730mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 3.7g | Calcium: 415mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Facts
Perfect Welsh Rarebit
Amount Per Serving (2 slices)
Calories 472
Calories from Fat 206
% Daily Value*
Fat 22.9g35%
Saturated Fat 13.2g66%
Cholesterol 61mg20%
Sodium 730mg30%
Potassium 179mg5%
Carbohydrates 47.1g16%
Fiber 2.5g10%
Sugar 3.7g4%
Protein 19.1g38%
Calcium 415mg42%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 2 slices of Welsh rarebit.

Here’s another authentic British recipe – my homemade suet dumplings (perfect for cooking on top of a hot stew!)

* Note: This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a small payment.

The post Perfect Welsh Rarebit appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

If you’re not familiar with homity pie, let me introduce you:

Homity pie is a traditional British recipe, which is essentially a cheesy potato and leek pie. It’s just the sort of thing we Brits do perfectly – simple ingredients, combined to make incredible comfort food. Say what you like about British food, but it’s hard to argue with buttery sautéed leeks, cheesy crushed potatoes, and a flaky shortcrust pastry case.

A slice of homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie).

I’m not going to lie, this homity pie is a bit of a labour of love. It’s not a quick weeknight meal like most of my recipes – this cheesy pie is definitely one to save for a special occasion (it would be perfect for a vegetarian Christmas dinner!).

Since cooking this pie takes a bit of time and patience, don’t try to cook it against the clock. Give yourself plenty of leeway – perhaps an afternoon where you’ve not got much else on. That way, it doesn’t matter if the potatoes have to sit for a little while so you can finish cooking the leeks, or if the pastry case is ready to fill before the filling is actually cooked – you can just potter away at your own pace, and it can all be assembled when you’re ready.

Overhead shot of a cheesy pie with a slice pulled away.

⭐ What’s in Homity Pie?

There are three parts to this recipe:

  • garlicky sautéed leeks and onion
  • buttery crushed potatoes (with a cheesy topping)
  • a crispy pastry case

These 3 elements can all be prepared simultaneously, or one at a time, depending on how good you are at multitasking. I’ve written the recipe in 3 separate parts, but if the timings work out (or if you have someone else helping you in the kitchen), you can prepare them all at the same time.

Once all three parts of the recipe are ready, they can be assembled, and baked one last time to complete your cheesy homity pie.

And by the way, I am 100% not a pastry expert. You may think my homity pie looks decidedly… rustic. But I like it that way 😆 If I wanted it to look perfect, I’d have saved myself a couple of hours, and bought one in a shop.

Becca’s Top Tip

Any extra scraps of pastry can be baked on their own, and eaten spread with strawberry jam – my kids love it when I cook with pastry as they always get little jam tarts!

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for homity pie laid out with text overlay.
  • leek – It’s hard to get the scale from the picture, but the leek I used was absolutely enormous – a proper monster (probably as big as my forearm!). If your leeks are a more normal size, you’ll probably need at least two.
  • potatoes
  • shortcrust pastry – I used a ready-rolled sheet of shop-bought pastry, as making pastry is not my forte. Feel free to use homemade pastry if you prefer!
  • cheddar cheese – If possible, use freshly grated mature cheddar cheese rather than the pre-grated stuff, as it melts more nicely.
  • onion – I used red onion, but regular onions would also be good.
  • fresh parsley
  • egg
  • garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar because I hate chopping large amounts of fresh garlic.
  • curry powder (optional, but it does add a lovely hint of warmth)

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before you need to use it. This helps it to soften a little, and means it’s less likely to crack as you unroll it.

📹 Recipe Video





🔪 Equipment

I like to use a loose bottomed springform cake tin for homemade pies. It works really well because:

  • The clip on the side and the loose bottom make it so easy to remove the pie from the tin once it’s finished baking.
  • It gives a nice tall pie, which looks great, and also gives a wonderfully thick layer of filling.
  • The metal heats up nicely and helps to crisp up the pastry.

You can use a shallower pie tin to make homity pie if that’s what you have, but I would always recommend a cake tin if you have one.

Here’s a similar one on Amazon, with great reviews:

8-Inch Springform Cake Tin

8-Inch Springform Cake Tin

I love using a loose-bottomed springform cake tin to make homemade pie. If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

$14.99

Buy on Amazon

A slice of homity pie with sautéed leeks, potatoes and cheese.

🖨 Printable Instructions

A slice of homity pie.

Print

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

How to make the classic British recipe homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie!) – a tasty vegetarian pie made with shortcrust pastry.
Course Main Course
Cuisine British, English
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 427kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 250 g (~ 9 oz) shortcrust pastry
  • 2 Tbsp flour (for dusting only)
  • 2 Tbsp butter, divided
  • 450 g (~ 1 lb) leeks, halved lengthwise then sliced
  • 1 onion (I used red onion), thinly sliced or diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
  • 450 g (~ 1 lb) potatoes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 150 g (~ 5 oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 1/2 cups when grated)

Instructions

Part 1: The pastry case

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Lightly grease an 8 inch springform cake tin. Dust the pastry and work surface with flour, and roll out the pastry until it measures around 12 x 12 inches (even if you’re using pre-rolled pastry, I find it helps to roll it a little thinner).

    Lay the pastry over the cake tin, and gently ease it into the corners, pressing gently (see the video below if you need more guidance). If you end up with any tears, just press the pastry back together. Trim off any extreme excess, but leave an inch or two extra around the edge of the tin, to allow it to shrink a little during baking. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork. Place the pastry case in the oven to blind bake for around 15 minutes.

    Uncooked shortcrust pastry draped over a cake tin.
  • When the pastry case is lightly golden brown, remove it from the oven. If the pastry has puffed up at all, just press it back down gently. When it is cool enough to touch, trim off any excess pastry by running a knife around the top edge of the cake tin.
    A cake tin lined with trimmed, cooked pastry.

Part 2: The garlicky leeks

  • To make the leek mixture, melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large frying pan, and add the sliced leeks and red onion. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until softened and just starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and curry powder, and cook for a couple more minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 5-10 minutes.
    Sautéed leeks and red onion in a frying pan.
  • When the leek mixture has cooled a little, add the chopped parsley and the egg, and thoroughly mix it in.
    Sautéed leeks and red onion in a frying pan.

Part 3: The buttery potato topping

  • To make the potato topping, cut the potatoes into chunks, and boil them for around 10-15 minutes, until just softened.
    Pieces of potato cooking in a pan of water.
  • Drain the potatoes, and add a Tbsp butter and a little salt. Use a fork to coarsely crush them – don’t make mashed potato, just break down any large chunks.
    Roughly crushed boiled potatoes in a saucepan.

Part 4: Assemble

  • Transfer the leek mixture to the blind baked pastry case, and spread it around into an even layer.
    A pastry case filled with sautéed leeks and red onion.
  • Add the smashed potatoes on top, and distribute them evenly.
    A pastry case topped with crushed potatoes.
  • Finish the pie with a generous amount of grated cheddar cheese.
    A pastry case topped with grated cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for around 30-40 more minutes, until the cheese is golden. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
    A cheesy pie in a cake tin.
  • Run a knife around the edge of the pastry to ensure it is loosened from the tin, then undo the clip. I like to take the pie out of the cake tin by placing it onto an upturned mug or bowl – the tin will slide downwards and the pie will rise out of the top. Alternatively, you can tip the pie out upside down onto your hand or a plate, then turn it the right way up again.

    Slice to serve.

    A cheesy potato and leek pie with a slice removed.

Video





Notes

The three parts of this recipe can be prepared one at a time. Or, if you’re good at multitasking, they can all be prepared simultaneously to save time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.9g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23.9g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 4.1g | Sugar: 4.8g | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this pie in advance?

Yes! The pie is best eaten fresh from the oven. However, if you need to prepare it in advance, it’s best to assemble everything, then keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to do the final bake just before serving.

How should I reheat any leftovers?

The most convenient method is to reheat any leftovers in the microwave – however, this does cause the pastry to lose its crispiness. Alternatively, you can reheat in the oven at about 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F), but it may dry out a little (make sure you’ve got some gravy to hand!).

How should I serve homity pie?

Homity pie is pretty versatile. It’s great simply served for lunch with some salad. Alternatively, it also makes a great vegetarian main course for a special occasion, e.g. Christmas or Thanksgiving.

🥧 Other Veggie Pie Recipes

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes
A slice of homity pie.

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

Mushroom pie with chestnuts and a suet crust.

Creamy Mushroom Pie with Chestnuts (and Easy Suet Crust)

A slice of smoked cheese and broccoli tart being cut on a board.

Smoked Cheese and Broccoli Tart

Vegetarian Lentil Sausage Rolls

Vegetarian Lentil Sausage Rolls

The post Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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