Ultimate mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my favourite meals. My version adds some smokey spice thanks to chorizo and pancetta.

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC

2. Cook your pasta in a large pan of salted, boiling water for about 8 minutes. You will want it undercooked as it will cook again in the oven.

3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot add your pancetta and chorizo and fry until they have released their oils and are crispy.

4. Add in 3 of your sliced spring onions, 1 tablespoon of your thyme leaves and cook for a further minute.

5. Once cooked add to your pasta and sir through. Making sure it is all coated in your spicy oil.

6. For the sauce, put your butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat until melted. Add your flour, nutmeg, and mustard and mix until it comes together in a roux. Keep cooking this for about a minute.

7. Keep staring as your slowly add in your milk a bit at a time until it forms a smooth sauce. Turn up the heat and let this simmer for a couple fo minutes, stirring as it does until it has thickened and then take it off the heat.

8. Add in your cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan to the sauce and stir until they have melted in.

9. Stir your sauce into your pasta until it has all combined and then transfer to an oven-proof dish.

10. Top the mac and cheese with your breadcrumbs, parmesan, and remaining thyme leaves and spring onion. Whack it into your oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown. Sprinkle on some chopped parsley to finish.

Ingredients

• 350g macaroni pasta

• 50g pancetta, diced

• 50g chorizo, diced

• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

• 50g parmesan

• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves

• 100g breadcrumbs (about 3 slices of white bread, blitzed in a food processor)

• handful of parsley

Cheese sauce

• 40g butter 

• 40g plain flour 

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

• 1 teaspoon English mustard powder 

• 480ml whole milk 

• 75g strong cheddar cheese

• 75g gruyere cheese

• 50g/4oz parmesan, grated

Top Tips

• This goes so well with my ultimate pulled pork for a really indulgent night in.

• Spot the deliberate mistake in the photos. It’s COVID lockdown and I couldn’t get macaroni!