I'm Grateful for my Cheesy Puns - Macaroni and Cheese

Ooooh two in one! Partner won't be happy about that. Anyway, as things like pasta, risotto rice and fancy cheese like parmesan began to make its way to Britian in the 20s and become more wildly available, things like Mac and Cheese became popular amongst the middle and working classes. Admittedly, it's another creamy, cheesy dish, but this time it's good! I based it how on my Granny makes her Mac and Cheese, with some assumption that she makes it in the same way as her mother (I could be wrong, maybe she got it from Delia Smith), but adding the tomatoes on top of the dish seems a little old fashioned to me and I like it that way!

One thing that does make me wonder about this period, and the love of hearty, rich dishes and the diet culture that really sprung into action in the era particularly for women. If a lot of these menu items were so popular, there must have been a huge amount of effort put in to not eat the food crazes of the time. Fortunately, I'm not so keen to try a dieter's evening meal of hot water, laxatives and vitamins! But I can't help but think how much of an absolute bloody nightmare it must have been to gain that very slim, almost boyish look that was favoured at the time, whilst you're facing off against Waldorf Salad and Mac and Cheese!

How a Soap helps you lose weight, I do not know, but if I could lose weight just by having a bath I certainly would!

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 
  150g mature cheddar
  
• 20g smoked cheddar 
• 50g parmesan
• 50g bread crumbs
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 280g macaroni
• 700ml full-fat milk
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tsp mustard

Method

1. Grate the mature and smoked cheddar into one bowl. In a seperate bowl grate the parmesan and mix in the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and thyme. Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
2. Cook the pasta (I couldn't find any macaroni at the shop, so just used penne).
3. Warm the milk in a jug in the microwave. Melt the butter in a big pan, then stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Lower the temperature and then slowly pour in the milk, stirring throughout, until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the cheddar cheese and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the mustard.
4. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce. 
5. Tip out the pasta into a baking dish, scatter the parmesan bread crumbs over the top, then slice the tomatoes and add on top. Heat through in the oven for 12-15 mins until beginning to bubble around the edges.