CHEESE STRAW RECIPES RECIPES

Prep: 30 minutes plus chilling. Cook: 30 minutes. 

Begin with the biscuits. Put the flour and butter into a bowl, and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If it’s easier, pulse everything together in a processor. Mix in the cheese, mustard, garlic, onion salt and sugar. Bring the dough together with your hands, then flatten, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.

To make the jam, cut slits in the tomato skins and place the tomatoes in a bowl. Pour in boiling water to submerge the tomatoes, then cover with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes. This makes it easier to remove the skins.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180ÅãC/160ÅãC fan/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray or two with baking paper.

Dust a work surface lightly with flour. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap and roll out to 5mm thick. Using a round 4cm cutter, cut out the biscuits and pop them on the trays. Gather any offcuts into a ball, roll out flat and cut out more rounds. Keep doing this until the dough is all used up.

Using a fork, pierce a few holes in the top of each biscuit, to allow steam to escape and stop them puffing up. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and crisp on top. If you are putting a tray on a lower shelf, it will need an extra 3–4 minutes.

Back to the jam. Remove the tomatoes from the hot water and peel away the skins. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Pop a non-stick saucepan on a medium heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, add the star anise and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Now add the sugar, salt and tomato pur.e and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chopped tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce and cook on a low to medium heat until any liquid has evaporated and the jam is sticky – this should only take 10 minutes.

Once the biscuits are baked, leave them on the tray for a few minutes, then remove them to cool on a rack. Eat them with the still-warm jam.

Prep: 30 minutes plus chilling. Cook: 30 minutes. 

Begin with the biscuits. Put the flour and butter into a bowl, and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If it’s easier, pulse everything together in a processor. Mix in the cheese, mustard, garlic, onion salt and sugar. Bring the dough together with your hands, then flatten, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.

To make the jam, cut slits in the tomato skins and place the tomatoes in a bowl. Pour in boiling water to submerge the tomatoes, then cover with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes. This makes it easier to remove the skins.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180ÅãC/160ÅãC fan/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray or two with baking paper.

Dust a work surface lightly with flour. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap and roll out to 5mm thick. Using a round 4cm cutter, cut out the biscuits and pop them on the trays. Gather any offcuts into a ball, roll out flat and cut out more rounds. Keep doing this until the dough is all used up.

Using a fork, pierce a few holes in the top of each biscuit, to allow steam to escape and stop them puffing up. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and crisp on top. If you are putting a tray on a lower shelf, it will need an extra 3–4 minutes.

Back to the jam. Remove the tomatoes from the hot water and peel away the skins. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Pop a non-stick saucepan on a medium heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, add the star anise and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Now add the sugar, salt and tomato pur.e and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chopped tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce and cook on a low to medium heat until any liquid has evaporated and the jam is sticky – this should only take 10 minutes.

Once the biscuits are baked, leave them on the tray for a few minutes, then remove them to cool on a rack. Eat them with the still-warm jam.

Boil the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold running water to stop it from sticking together. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Have a 23 x 23cm casserole dish or ovenproof dish at the ready.

Meanwhile put a non-stick pan on the hob and add the cheese. Keep stirring all the time while the cheese melts gently. As soon as the cheese has melted, add all the cooked pasta and mix through.

Now add the egg and stir to cook it through and mix it with the cheese mixture. This makes the dish lovely and rich.

Before adding the piccalilli, put it into a bowl and squash it with the back of a fork. Some bits can be very sharp, so you want to distribute it rather than have someone bite into a very sharp bit of cauliflower. If you are having difficulty, snip the larger bits with scissors.

Add the piccalilli to the pasta mixture along with the cream cheese, onion seeds and salt. Mix well, then pour into the casserole dish and smooth the surface so it's level.

To make the crispy topping, melt the butter. Add the breadcrumbs and mix through till the breadcrumbs are roughly coated.

Sprinkle the crumbs over the macaroni cheese and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is all golden.