🥪 Cheese Savoury
Serious Sandwich 05
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It’s a stone-cold classic from the North East of England this week, bread munchers: the cheese savoury! Never heard of it? You probably grew up south of Sheffield. It’s a bit like a cheese and onion sandwich with added glamour in the form of… carrot. Bear with us. The cheese savoury truly is the stuff of dreams because everything is smooshed into a spreadable paste. Yes, it’s one for cheese and onion lovers, but more of that imminently. Paid subs this week will enjoy a trip down memory lane with food writer Samantha Priestly, whose stepmum introduced her to the delights of this stottie stalwart.Â
But first… HEAD TO THE THREAD!
Right, let’s get into it.
As previously alluded to, the cheese savoury is often made with a stottie, which, if you don’t know, is a round, flattish white loaf of some substance. She has heft. This makes the stottie perfect for housing ballsy fillings such as the majestic dairy and allium slurry we’re dealing with today. However, sliced white will do just fine. It should go without saying but just in case: do not use sourdough. We see you.
‘Sandwich spread’ will 100% have its own newsletter at some point. Ditto cheese and onion. This sandwich is neither, but it does feature a creamy paste with tangy bits; there’s something deeply satisfying about mixing everything together into one spoonable mush before gliding it over a springy virgin slice.
The filling is made with cheese (most often grated Cheddar and/or Red Leicester), grated onion (yes, you must grate it), salad cream and/or mayo, grated carrot and/or celery. The carrot is a curveball, sure, but its sweetness and colour will pleasantly surprise you. Here’s a fairly classic recipe…
A Classic Cheese Savoury
Serves 1. You could add Red Leicester here for more colour but the carrot does a pretty good job on its own.
2 slices white bread or 1 small stottie, split
50g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons grated carrot
2-inch piece of celery, very finely diced
¼ small red or regular onion, grated (really, you must!)
2 tablespoons salad cream or mayonnaise
If you have time, give your finely diced celery a 10-minute soak in very cold water, to get it really crisp.
Then, it’s just a case of mixing everything together and spreading it into the sandwich.
The PimKimcheese Savoury
Serves 2, generously. What you’re seeing here is the lovechild of pimento cheese and a ‘kimcheese’ toastie filling. It’s quite flexible, so you could use just one cheese, or use just salad cream instead of both salad cream and mayo, and so on. The point is that it’s funky, piquant, and creamy.
4 slices of white bread (or stottie!)
4 tablespoons finely chopped kimchi
1 spring onion, finely sliced
50g Cheddar, grated
50g Red Leicester, grated
2 tablespoons salad cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3 pimento peppers (Peppadew work well), finely chopped
1 tablespoon jarred jalapeño slices, finely chopped
A dash of hot sauce
Mix it all together, and spread!
The Garlic Kraut Savoury
Serves 1. Absolutely do not eat this if you have to leave the house and/or talk to anyone in close proximity within the next 8 hours. We know the roasted garlic seems like a faff but you can roast a whole batch and then use it for other sandwiches! And the sandwich really isn’t the same without it.
2 slices white bread or 1 small stottie, split
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
Olive oil (or use another oil e.g. veg or groundnut)
2 tablespoons Boursin (other garlic and herb cream cheeses are available until Boursin sponsor this newsletter)
2 tablespoons sauerkraut
Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan).
Spread the garlic cloves out on a baking tray, toss with a slosh of oil then roast for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid from the sauerkraut as possible - this is easiest if you put it into a clean cloth or towel but you could also use your hands. Chop it finely.
Mix the chopped kraut with the Boursin.
Squeeze a few garlic cloves from their skins and spread them over one piece of bread. Top with the Boursin-kraut mix and close the sandwich.
Share your memories/gripes/hopes and dreams on this week’s Sandwich Board!