Tag: Welsh Rarebit

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets

Hello, friends! Tuesday, September 3rd, is Welsh Rarebit Day. Welsh Rarebit is one of my favourite foods—breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper.  You name it – I’ll happily eat a Welsh Rarebit at that time.  And over here at Maison de la Retro Food, we will be celebrating with a Welsh Rarebit Crumpet.

I have previously written about the dubious origins of the name so  I won’t repeat myself.  But, for anyone not familiar with the dish, it is a fancy version of cheese on toast. My recipe comes from British chef Mark Hix from the book Midnight Feasts: An Anthology of Late Night Munchies by Charmain Ponnuthurai. He calls it a “Rabbit,” a term used in the 18th century. I’m using “rarebit” to be kind to vegetarians. And no bunnies were harmed in the making of this dish!

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets1

I chose this recipe because, whilst having eaten Welsh Rarebit many times, I have never combined it with the joy that is a crumpet before!  And it really was a joy!  I had these for a working at home lunch and not only did they hit the spot taste-wise, they are also quick to make and the ingredients are usually on hand in most kitchens.  Well, you might have to buy crumpets.  And if you are the type of person who always has crumpets on hand, well done!  You are truly living your best life!  You could also use toast for these but you would miss out on one of the delights of the Welsh Rarebit Crumpet.  

Crumpets, as I am sure I don’t need to tell you are full of holes. Here is one of my crumpets pre Rarebit

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets2

Now, when you add Welsh Rarebit to your crumpets and heat them, something wonderful happens.  Those holes fill up with lovely, lovely melted cheese!  So, not only do you have cheese on top of your crumpet, you also have it in your crumpet as shown in the photo below. 

Bloody brilliant!!!!!  I take my hat off to you Mark Hix, you are a genius!  

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets3

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets – Recipe

Here is the recipe including the adorable drawing that accompanies it:

Welsh Rarebit Crumpet Recipe

And just cos that looks tiny, here is a close up of the actual recipe:

AA Welsh Rarebit CrumpetsWelsh Rarebit Crumpets4

 

Variations on Welsh Rarebit

If crumpets or bread are not your bag, here are some other variations on Welsh Rarebit so you can still celebrate on Tuesday!

Welsh Lamb Rarebit Hotpot:  This is going onto my list of things to cook!

Welsh Rarebit Potato Skins:  Cheese and Potato is never wrong!

Here’s one with chicken:  Yes please!

This Welsh Rarebit Tart is right up my alley

As is this Welsh Rarebit version of cauliflower cheese

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets5

Have a wonderful day however you decide to spend Welsh Rarebit Day!

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Welsh Rarebit- Dining with The Dame 6

Hello crime readers and food lovers!  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd which is Christie number 6 has a special memory for me because this was one of the books we had oin the bookshelf when I was growing up. This was probably one of the first Christie books I ever read!.  It was also the book that made Christie’s name as a writer for the innovative twist at the end.  It has been recognised, many times, as one of the best and/or most influential crime novels ever written.  Never mind the accolades though, it also, beautifully and comically features one of my own favourite foods  – a Welsh Rarebit!

Welsh Ratebit1

One of the few good things working from home for the last… Good Lord five months now…. is that I can whip up a Welsh rarebit for lunch whenever I choose.  Turns out I choose to do so quite frequently!  It’s tasty, filling, perfect with a bowl of soup, a salad, or just on its own!  Of course, I ‘ am not alone in loving a bit o’ Welsh Rarebit!

The normally curmudgeonly Martin Lampen claims

Cheese on toast, its Welsh Rarebit to those in the know.  It’s the perfect British rainy day lunchtime snack – quick, cheap, easy to prepare….it’s a national icon”

– The Knickerbocker Glory Years

Albert Jack, however, draws attention to the rather  origin of its name by calling it

” the most insulting way to serve cheese on toast”

This is because the English thought it would be funny to mock the Welsh by insinuating that they were too poor to have proper meat and so had to have cheese instead!

Welsh Rarebit 2

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd- The Plot

James Sheppard is the local doctor in Kings Abbot.  He lives with his sister Caroline who knows all the gossip and scandal in the town and who is currently interested in finding out all about the “foreign” gentleman who has moved in next door.

A wealthy widow in the town has committed suicide by drinking veronal.  Her fiance, Roger Ackroyd, is in a state of agitation because the day before Mrs Ferrars (the widow) confessed to him that she murdered her first husband.  She also told him that someone knew she had done it and was blackmailing her.

That night, Roger Ackroyd is stabbed to death in his study by persons unknown…

Turns out the foreign gentleman next door is no other than  Hercule Poirot who has moved to Kings Abbot to grow marrows in his retirement.  (BTW,  Kings Abbott is a real place and it looks absolutely GORGEOUS!)

 

Anyhoo, no one is getting away with stabbing people to death in the neck on Poirot’s watch. What follows are:

  • Mysterious phonecalls
  • Strangers lurking in the bushes
  • Chairs suspiciously out of place
  • Stolen money
  • Secret Marriages
  • And of course, Poirot using his little grey cells to solve the crime and out the murderer!
  • There is also a bit of slapstick when Dr. Sheppard gets hit over the head with one of Poirot’s marrows.  I mean it’s not as good as this classic from the Amazing Race.  But in terms of people getting forcefully hit with produce, it’s up there!  Also, who knew I was keeping that list?

 

 

The Covers

Only three covers this time –  the one from my childhood, the one I read which was a graphic novel! And my favourite of them all – I mean is it just me or does Roger look hot in that third one?

Roger collage

The Recipe – Welsh Rarebit

I need to set the scene a bit on this one. Dr. Sheppard invites Poirot round for lunch.  However, there were only two chops available for the lunch table.  In order to save face, Caroline Sheppard pretends to be a vegetarian and lunches on a Welsh Rarebit.

‘With magnificent mendacity, [she] explained to Poirot that … she adhered strictly to a vegetarian diet. She descanted ecstatically on the delights of nut cutlets (which I am quite sure she has never tasted) and ate a Welsh rarebit with gusto and frequent cutting remarks as to the dangers of ‘flesh’ foods.’

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie

The Recipe for Welsh Rarebit I used comes from Cookery The Australian Way which was my high school home economics cookbook!  As you can see from the state of the page, this has been used a LOT!   I have tried other recipes for Welsh Rarebit but this is the one I have returned to time and time again for the last…hmmm…lets  not count the years since I was in high school!

 

Welsh Rarebit Recipe

Other Food Mentioned in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Stay safe friends and have a great week!