Cheese on toast

There was a ‘report’ about cheese on toast on the radio this morning, with the presenters discussing what the perfect cheese on toast is.

All sorts of variations were mentioned, with bacon,with onion, with mango chutney,on all sorts of bread toasted and untoasted, and there were even things which sounded more like toasted sandwiches than what I understand as cheese on toast, i.e. cheese put on toast and toasted. Some of the ideas, although delicious sounding, really did not seem to fulfil the brief; cheese on bread which is toasted is not cheese on toast, surely, nor is bread and cheese with bread on top and then toasted!

It was a fun report really, and there was a roving reporter who went among the audience asking them what they liked. I think of cheese on toast as a supper dish, and as I don’t eat supper, I don’t eat cheese on toast! I used to absolutely love it… although I guess it is very fattening for someone who wants to lose a bit of weight!

For me the perfect cheese on toast requires a slice of bread cut quite thickly from a loaf (brown or white, but maybe for something which reminds me of my childhood it should be white) toasted, then layers of old tasty cheddar arranged on top (old and dry cheese)  a dash of Lea and Perrins’ Worcestershire sauce, and then grilled until all the cheese has melted and the top is bubbling and slightly brown. I will concede that tomato sauce could be spread on the toast underneath the cheese – but not for me, and I might even concede that a few, just a few, thinly sliced tomatoes could be placed on top and dusted with salt and pepper, but again, I wouldn’t if I was cooking it for myself. So toast+cheese+Worcester sauce… that’s it!