How To Make Macaroni Cheese

Mustard powder is ideal for this but if you only have a jar of ready-made, whisk a spoonful into the sauce once you’ve added the milk. (If you don’t have macaroni any other pasta shapes will do.) I find it hard to give precise quantities for a cheese sauce because I never measure the quantities when I make it myself, but you won’t go far wrong with these and you can always whisk in a little more milk at the end if you think the sauce is too thick. And although you’re supposed to add the grated cheese to the finished sauce I throw the whole lot in with the milk and it works just fine.

1. Step 1:

   Put the macaroni in a saucepan of slightly salted boiling water and simmer steadily for about 15 minutes in the usual way, or according to the instructions on the packet.

2. Step 2:

   Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan over a low heat while you sift the flour, mustard powder and nutmeg together.

3. Step 3:

   Stir the flour mixture into the melted fat with a wooden spoon and keep stirring for a couple of minutes until the paste is shiny and slipping away from the bottom of the pan.

4. Step 4:

   Add the milk, grated cheese and black pepper and keep beating the sauce to prevent lumps forming – or make it easy on yourself to begin with by using a small hand whisk instead of a wooden spoon.

5. Step 5:

   Drain the cooked macaroni and put it in a lightly buttered ovenproof dish then cover with the cheese sauce and pop it in the oven at Gas Mark 7 (220°C) or under a preheated grill for a couple of minutes until it browns and bubbles.

6. Step 6:

   Serve with grilled crispy bacon, grilled tomatoes and spinach.