Warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat and melt the butter in a separate saucepan over low heat. Stir the flour into the butter and cook gently for 1 minute, then gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring well all the time to make a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Draw off the heat and add the cheese and mustard. (The heat of the pan will be sufficient to melt the cheese.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Variation: Combine 1 egg yolk with 3 tablespoons single cream (to make a liaison) and stir into the sauce last of all. Reheat for 1 minute, stirring, but do not allow to boil. The result is a smooth, golden mixture which browns beautifully under the grill รข use for fish or vegetable dishes.
Cheeses for cheese sauce
Of our traditional English cheeses, Cheddar is the most popular for cheese sauce, but you should try Lancashire which can be crumbled into the sauce and melts almost immediately. For good browning qualities (where sauce is poured over food and grilled) Gruy6re is the best, but
! expensive. Swiss Shrinz and Dutch Gouda are both excellent alternatives. Use a blue cheese and
you get a different flavour. Stilton and Danish blue are delicious. Pour Stilton sauce over cooked cauliflower for a rare treat. In fact, you can use any cheese of your choice, remembering the stronger the flavour the less you’ll need to get the right taste. Hard cheese should be finely grated; for soft or processed cheese use a coarse grater or dice cheese