by Austin Butler
Hafod (pronounced “Havod”) is a feral little truckle of Cheddar made on Bwlchwernen Fawr in western Wales. It’s the perfect cheese to enjoy in that pub classic known as a Welsh rarebit, not only because of its provenance, but because of its flavors. This wheel of Hafod is beautifully cracked with blue veining, adding a rich umami to the smoky lard and Cheddar tang I pick up in the cheese. I enjoy having a rarebit alongside a salad, something to cut through the unctuousness with some herbaceous crunch. As apples are coming into season alongside walnuts, I can’t think of a better salad than one of shaved fennel, orchard apples, and walnuts with a tart and sweet dressing of apple cider vinegar and honey.
Makes 6 Welsh Rarebits
For the Welsh rarebit:
A generous knob (about a tablespoon) of butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup/200 mL beer like Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale or Guinness
1 tablespoon of mustard, either powdered Coleman’s or Dijon
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons Col. Pabst’s Worcester Sauce
450 g Hafod Cheddar or other mature, strong cheese, grated
Crusty bread like Bakersfield’s Good ‘Wich of the North
For the salad:
1 small tart apple
1 fennel bulb
30 g walnuts
25 g olive oil
25 g ACV
16 g honey
2 g salt
In a saucepan over low heat melt the butter. Add the flour to the pot and stir continuously to form a roux. Toast the roux until blonde and fragrant, about two minutes. Slowly add in the beer while stirring to prevent lumps. Add the mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the Cheddar a handful at a time. Adding the cheese too quickly will cause it to split, so be patient, this can take a few minutes. Once a smooth sauce has formed, reserve it in a small bowl and cool until pastelike.
Toast the bread. No floppy rarebits here, please.
Heap a few generous spoonfuls of the thick, velvety cheese sauce right to the edge of the bread and broil it until smoking, bubbly, and browned. You want a few crispy edges to form.
Allow the rarebits to cool for a few minutes, then make a crosshatched pattern on the top and shake a few drops (or “lashings” as the Brits say) of Worcestershire on. Serve immediately with a pint. Top with a fried egg to make a “buck rarebit.”
For the salad, slice the fennel and apple thinly, preferably on a mandoline. Roughly chop the walnuts and add them to the fennel and apples. Dress with olive oil, vinegar, honey, and salt. Toss to combine, including any fennel fronds that may have come alongside the bulbs. You can make this salad in advance if you withhold the salt. I quite like this salad throughout the autumn, especially alongside pork chops and a celeriac purée.