Welsh Rarebit Cheese Toastie
This Welsh rarebit cheese toastie is next level comfort food! There’s crunchy bread, melty cheese, sticky caramelised onions & a Welsh rarebit toppping. It’s a belter!
This isn’t your average grilled cheese, it’s a Welsh rarebit cheese toastie!
This toasted sandwich is filled with 2 types of cheese & plenty of caramelised onions then fried in butter, topped with a generous layer of Welsh rarebit & grilled until crisp & bubbly.
It’s a cross between a classic rarebit on toast & a Croque Monsieur sandwich. It’s not the healthiest of sandwiches but if you’re a big fan of cheese then this really does hit the spot!
For more lunchtime inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, like our fried chicken katsu sandwich, everything bagel avocado toast & lamb kofta scotch egg…
Components Of A Welsh Rarebit Cheese Toastie
A good cheese toastie (or grilled cheese!) only requires a few components. Realistically, you only need some bread & cheese to make a grilled cheese but for a next level rarebit cheese toastie, you’ll also need a few additions. We’re talking sweet & sticky caramelised onions, a punchy Welsh rarebit topping & a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce to finish…
The Bread
A sturdy type of bread works best for cheese toasties, so that the melted cheese won’t make it soggy. A crusty white or seeded sandwich bread works great, as will sourdough. If you fancy making your own bread, we’ve got recipes for homemade sourdough & a white sandwich bread on the blog. I’ve also been working on a seeded sandwich bread recipe, which will be up on the blog soon…
Cheese
When I make a cheese toastie, I always like to use a mature cheddar paired with another type of melty cheese. I used some Double Gloucester for this recipe as it’s what I use when making Welsh rarebit, however some Red Leicester, Gruyere, Emmental or a low moisture mozzarella would all work as well.
To prep our cheese, we need to cut it into fairly thin slices. I like to slice the cheese instead of grating it, as I find that it melts more evenly. It also means that you can get more cheese into your toastie!
Caramelised Onions
Sweet & sticky caramelised onions work fantastically in cheese toasties (or most sandwiches in fact!). Cheese & onions is a classic pairing, so this works a treat!
I used some of my marmite caramelised onions for my toastie but regular caramelised onions will work as well or you could use a shop bought onion chutney. The marmite onions work amazingly in this toastie though! Marmite & cheese work really well together!
Welsh Rarebit
Welsh rarebit is a thick, spreadable cheese sauce that’s made with beer, sharp English cheese, mustard & Worcestershire sauce and is traditionally served on toast. We’re going to be spreading rarebit on top of our cheese toastie then grilling it, until it’s golden brown & bubbling! To finish, we drizzle the rarebit with some Worcestershire sauce, for a traditional serve. I used my Guinness Welsh rarebit for this toastie….
How To Make A Welsh Rarebit Cheese Toastie
A Welsh rarebit cheese toastie is made the same way as a regular grilled cheese except that it’s topped with rarebit then grilled, to finish. Here’s how to make one!
- First, preheat a grill to high, set a large frying over a medium heat and also, cut two thick slices of bread.
- Next, top one of the slices of bread with a layer of sliced cheese, followed by a generous spoonful of caramelised onions then another layer of cheese.
- Place the other slice of bread on top then spread a thin layer of butter over the top slice of bread.
- Carefully place the toastie into the hot pan, butter side facing down then cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Press the toastie down occasionally with a spatula, so that the bread browns evenly.
- Next, spread a thin layer of butter onto the top piece of bread then flip the toastie over & cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
- Once cooked, transfer the toastie to a baking tray then spread a generous amount of rarebit on top. Place the toastie under the grill then cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the rarebit is golden brown & bubbling.
- To finish, use a knife to score the rarebit in a criss cross pattern then drizzle over some Worcestershire sauce & serve.
Tips & Tricks
- Use thick slices of bread for cheese toasties. Thin slices of bread will get too toasted before the cheese has melted, so a thickness of at least 1 cm is best.
- Use a combination of melty cheeses, for the best cheese toasties! I like to use a sharp, mature cheddar, paired with another hard cheese or something extra melty like mozzarella.
- Brush the bread with butter before cooking the toastie, for extra flavour & to give the bread an extra crisp, golden exterior.
- Press your cheese toastie as it cooks, to make sure that the bread browns evenly & the cheese melts properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 but we’re going to be topping our cheese toastie with it!
Sturdy breads, like sourdough & crusty sandwich loaves are best for cheese toasties as they can hold up to being cooked & won’t go soggy from the melted cheese. Whatever type of bread you use, make sure to slice it nice & thick!
A sharp, mature cheddar cheese works best for cheese toasties. You can pair this with another type of melty cheese, like Red Leicester, low moisture mozzarella, emmental, gruyere or gouda.
If you’re not a fan of Welsh rarebit, you could swap it out for a bechamel style cheese sauce to make a Croque Monsieur style cheese toastie. Or you could leave the rarebit out completely.
Yes, Welsh rarebit cheese toasties can be baked instead of grilled. If your oven hasn’t got a grill, bake the toastie at 200°c/392°f for 4-5 minutes, until the rarebit is golden brown.
To cook Welsh rarebit cheese toasties on an Aga, fry the toasties on the boiling plate then top with rarebit & cook in the roasting oven, on the top set of runners for 4-5 minutes (or as high as you can get it without the rarebit touching the top of the oven).
More Lunch Recipes To Try!
- Everything Bagel Avocado Toast
- Creamy Garlic Mushrooms On Toast With Poached Eggs
- Roast Chicken & Giant Couscous Salad
- Fried Chicken Katsu Sandwich
- Hazelnut Pesto Pasta Salad
- Spicy Prawn Rolls
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Welsh Rarebit Cheese Toastie
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 2 Thick Slices Of Bread (See Notes)
- 100 g Mature Cheddar
- 100 g Double Gloucester (See Notes)
- 1 tbsp Marmite Caramelised Onions (Or Regular Caramelised Onions)
- 1 tbsp Guinness Welsh Rarebit (See Notes)
- Soft Butter (To Spread On Top)
- Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- First, thinly slice both of the cheeses then set to one side.
- Preheat a grill to high & set a large frying pan over a medium heat.
- Next, take a slice of bread & top it with half of the sliced cheese. Make sure that the cheese completely covers the bread!
- Spoon the caramelised onions on top of the cheese then top the onions with the remaining cheese slices.
- Place the other slice of bread on top then spread a thin layer of butter over the top slice of bread.
- Carefully place the toastie into the hot pan, butter side facing down then cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Press the toastie down occasionally with a spatula, so that the bread browns evenly.
- Next, spread a thin layer of butter onto the top piece of bread then flip the toastie over & cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
- Once cooked, transfer the toastie to a baking tray then spread a generous amount of rarebit on top. Place the toastie under the grill then cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the rarebit is golden brown & bubbling.
- To finish, use a knife to score the rarebit in a criss cross pattern then drizzle over some Worcestershire sauce then serve.
this food is very delicious thank you for making this delicious recipe