Imagine if you will, that you are a landed Edwardian, and you are close to finishing your 10-course dinner. The hors d’ouevres, soup, fish, roasted joint, game or fowl have all been eaten. Slipped in between dessert, an array of pastries, ices and jellies, and the cheese, fruit and passing the port, you would have a time for a savoury. This was often a salty snack served on toast that acted as a palate cleanser.

You might have heard of angels on horseback, grilled oysters wrapped in bacon. Wrapping oysters in bacon is not as easy as it sounds, I’m reminded of Julia Roberts character in Pretty Women, in a very exclusive restaurant, exclaiming, “slippery little suckers”. Don’t get me started on devils on horseback, spooning mango chutney into hundreds of prunes is not fun either. Scotch woodcock is another example of savoury. Silky scrambled eggs are served on toast and topped with anchovies and caper berries.

The best-known savoury however is today’s recipe Welsh rarebit. What is it? Simply put, it is a kind of posh cheese on toast flavoured with a strong beer. The secret, as in so many recipes, is in the sauce. It is delicious grilled on top of burgers and poached smoked haddock. Served on some toasted sourdough, it is now a popular lunch or simple supper dish, served with a green salad.

When topped with a fried egg, the dish becomes a golden buck, which I absolutely love. If you add some slices of tomato, the dish is called a blushing bunny, which is an adorable name for a cheese and tomato toastie. Whichever way you choose to serve it is deliciously tasty.

What beer should you use? Well, I heed the words of the late, great Keith Floyd when I’m cooking. Only use something in your recipe you will happily drink. I also like the idea of using a beer you will happily drink with the finished dish. With a mature Cheddar cheese, I am partial to a classic English brown ale with lots of nutty flavours and a hint of bitterness to balance any toffee caramel sweetness. I made my rarebit with Joseph Holt’s refreshing Manchester Brown Ale.

Welsh rarebit (serves 2)

More experienced cooks may spot that the sauce is started by making a roux. This is a cooked mix of flour and fat that is the base of béchamel and lots of sauces, as well as being used in thickening lots of soups and stews. The cheese and Worcestershire sauce are quite salty but do check at the end of cooking if it needs a good grind of black pepper and any extra salt.

150g grated mature cheddar

100 Manchester Brown Ale

50ml double cream

25g butter, plus a little extra for the toast

25g plain flour

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp prepared English mustard

1 free-range egg yolk

Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

2 large slices sourdough bread

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the flour. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring continuously for two minutes, until the mixture combines and turns a golden brown. In a separate pan warm the beer.

Slowly add the beer to the roux, in batches, continuing to stir to make a thick, smooth sauce. Cook for 10 minutes over the lowest possible, heat stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This removes any floury taste from the finished dish.

Add the cheese, mustard, cream, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper and beat into the sauce until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolk. Check the seasoning.

Toast the bread on both sides under a hot grill. Butter the sourdough and top with the rarebit mix. Return under the grill and cook until brown and bubbling.