Guinness Welsh Rarebit
A punchy Welsh rarebit, made with Guinness. Flavoured with English mustard & Worcestershire sauce, this makes the best cheese on toast ever!
Here we’re making a classic Welsh rarebit with Guinness stout, sharp English cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, punchy English mustard & a pinch of cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick! Spread a thick layer of this cheese sauce onto toast then grill it until it’s golden & bubbly and you’ve got yourself some next level cheese on toast!
For more lunchtime inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes! Here you’ll find sandwiches, avocado toast, salads, scotch eggs & lots more…
What Is Welsh Rarebit?
Welsh rarebit is a thick cheese sauce that’s made with beer, sharp English cheese, Worcestershire sauce & mustard. Traditionally, Welsh rarebit is served on toast where it’s grilled until it’s golden brown & bubbling, like a posh cheese on toast! However, it goes great when served with veg & fish as well.
What You’ll Need
- Guinness – This is an Irish stout that works perfectly for rarebit. However, other stouts will work or you could use an Ale instead.
- Cheese – Welsh rarebit is best made with a hard, sharp English cheese. This could be a mature cheddar, Double Gloucester, Lancashire or Cheshire cheese. I use a combination of mature cheddar & Double Gloucester.
- Worcestershire Sauce – A classic rarebit flavouring/seasoning. You’ll need some to go into the rarebit & also, to serve on top.
- Mustard – We’re using both English mustard & English mustard powder to flavour our rarebit. Feel free to use less than the specified amound if you’d prefer yours less mustardy.
- Egg Yolks – Adding egg yolks into Welsh rarebit gives it a glossy finish but also helps it set softer, making it easier to spread onto toast.
- Cayenne Pepper – Another classic rarebit seasoning. I only use a small amount in mine but feel free to add in more if you’d prefer more of a kick!
- Butter – We’re making a roux as the base of our rarebit, which we’ll need butter for. Unsalted butter works best, as cheese tends to be quite salty.
- Plain Flour – The other part of our roux!
How To Make Welsh Rarebit
The full, printable recipe card for this rarebit can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Make A Roux
First, we need to make a roux. To do this, we add butter into a pan, set over a medium-low heat then cook until melted. Next, we stir in plain flour, mustard powder & cayenne pepper then cook out for 1 minute, stirring constantly. - Whisk In Guinness
Next, we gradually pour Guinness into the roux whilst whisking constantly then cook out for another minute or two, until a thick sauce forms. - Add In Mustard & Worcestershire Sauce
Once the sauce is thick, we turn the heat down to low then stir in English mustard & Worcestershire sauce. - Stir In Cheese
Now we add the grated cheese into the sauce, stir until it has melted completely then take the pan off the heat & let the rarebit cool slightly. - Leave To Cool Then Stir In Yolks
Once the rarebit has been left to cool for a couple of minutes, we stir in a couple of egg yolks & season with freshly cracked black pepper.
At this point, the rarebit can be used straight away or stored in the fridge & used within 3 days.
Welsh Rarebit On Toast
Welsh rarebit is traditionally served on toast, like a fancy cheese on toast! Here, we spread a generous amount of rarebit over a thick slice of toast then grill for a couple of minutes until it is golden brown & bubbling. To finish, we use a knife to press a criss cross pattern into the rarebit then drizzle over plenty of Worcestershire sauce.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a good quality beer when making Welsh rarebit. Stouts like Guinness work great but an amber, pale or dark ale will work as well.
- Add plenty of good quality hard English cheese into your rarebit. I use a mix of mature cheddar & double Gloucester but some Lancashire or Cheshire cheese will also work.
- Season your rarebit well with freshly cracked black pepper. Cheese can be quite salty so you probably won’t need to add any extra salt in but give the rarebit a taste to double check.
- Turn the heat down to low before adding the cheese into the rarebit. If the sauce is too hot the cheese could split & the sauce will become broken & greasy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beers like stouts & ales work best for Welsh rarebit & these are what were used traditionally. You could use cider or port but for the best flavour, beer is best!
Hard English cheeses with a sharp flavour work best for Welsh rarebit. Traditionally a mature cheddar cheese would be used for Welsh rarebit but Double Gloucester, Lancashire & Cheshire cheeses will all work as well.
Once made, Welsh rarebit needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days.
Traditionally Welsh rarebit is served on toast (like cheese on toast) but it can also be used to top baked potatoes, cauliflower cheese, cheese toasties & lots more.
To cook Welsh rarebit in an Aga, use the simmering plate to make the rarebit. The bread can either be toasted on the boiling plate (with an Aga toast rack) or on the simmering plate on a piece of Bake-O-Glide. Once the toast has been topped with rarebit, cook in the roasting oven, on the top set of runners.
More Lunch Recipes To Try!
- Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
- Lamb, Halloumi & Rose Harissa Sausage Rolls
- Roast Chicken & Giant Couscous Salad
- Smoked Lamb Shawarma & Za’atar Halloumi Sandwich
- Fried Chicken Katsu Sandwich
- Creamy Garlic Mushrooms On Toast With Poached Eggs
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Guinness Welsh Rarebit
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Box Grater
Ingredients
Welsh Rarebit
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp English Mustard Powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 300 ml Guinness
- 1 tsp English Mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 200 g Mature Cheddar (Grated)
- 200 g Double Gloucester (Grated)
- 2 Egg Yolks
To Serve
- 8 Slices Bread
- Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
Welsh Rarebit
- Add the butter into a large saucepan then cook over a medium-low heat, stirring frequently until melted.
- Stir the flour, mustard powder & cayenne pepper into the butter then cook out for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Next, gradually whisk the Guinness into the roux then once incorporated, cook out for a minute or so, until you have a thick sauce.
- Turn the heat down to low then stir in the mustard & Worcestershire sauce followed by the grated cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted then take the pan off the heat.
- Season the rarebit with freshly cracked black pepper, leave to cool slightly then stir in the egg yolks.Let the rarebit cool for a couple of minutes, to avoid scrambling the yolks.
- Transfer the rarebit into a tub, place a piece of clingfilm onto the surface then store in the fridge until needed.Alternatively, you can use the rarebit straight away! However, it's easier to spread onto toast once it has cooled slightly.
To Serve
- Place slices of bread onto a baking tray then lightly toast each side under a grill set to high.
- Next, spoon a generous amount of rarebit on top of each slice of bread then spread out to completely cover. Place back under the grill then cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden & bubbling.
- Transfer the bread to plates then use a knife to press a criss cross pattern into the rarebit. Drizzle Worcestershire sauce over each portion rarebit then serve.
