Delicious pot of comfort with a striking hue.

Serves 4

40g butter
45g flour
650ml hot milk
12 turns of milled black pepper
8g sea salt
100g Aged Leicestershire Red
20g Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic cut in half
2 bay leaves
4g sprigs thyme
1 nutmeg
500g macaroni
Olive oil
Salt
20g grated Thomas Hoe Stevenson Aged Leicestershire Red

Method

Infuse the hot milk with the three cloves of garlic, bay leaves, thyme and a little grated nutmeg. Leave for 10 minutes. Melt the butter in a pan on a low heat, then add the flour and cook out for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Pour the infused milk mixture, little by little, into the flour and butter mix, stirring all the time, with the heat on low, so it will not burn on the bottom of the pan.

Then add the salt and pepper and bring to a slow simmer for 5 minutes at a slow temperature, stirring constantly, before you add the mustard and cheese.

Turn the heat off and pass this through a fine sieve and into a bowl covering with some cling film.

Cooking the pasta:

When you cook the pasta, allow 10g salt per litre of water, bring to a simmer and add some olive oil to the pan when being cooked, cook the pasta to al dente – approximately 8 minutes – then drain in a colander and refresh in cold water, drain well and leave to drip dry.

Mix the hot sauce with the blanched pasta, place in the correct sized dish and sprinkle with 20g of extra grated aged Leicestershire Red on the top. Bake in the oven at 200°C/Gas 6 for 15 minutes till hot and golden.

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Aged Leicestershire Red Macaroni Cheese