Big Mac (& Cheese)

In most households, Sunday nights are reserved for two special activities: willing the weekend to last just a little bit longer and ironing. But if you've got time to tackle a new recipe in between the shirts and dread, our super duper mac & cheese is guaranteed to help you forget those Monday morning blues...

Ingredients:

- 1 leek
- 2 rashers of bacon
- knob of butter
- plain flour
- milk
- 150g pasta
- 75g mature cheddar
- 1 slice toast, preferably the heel
*These ingredients are a rough guide to serve 2 people. If you like less leeks/lots of bacon/have more mouths to feed, feel free to improvise!

Directions:

1. Chop the leeks and bacon and fry on a medium heat until soft.
2. Melt the butter in a pan then add flour and milk to make a white sauce. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg before adding 50g cheddar. Simmer on a low heat to reduce the sauce. *If you've never made a white sauce before, follow this guide.

3. As the leeks and bacon are cooking and the sauce is reducing, boil the kettle and cook your pasta for 10 minutes. Penne is a great pasta for this dish as the sauce becomes trapped in the tubes - yummy!
4. Toast a slice of bread and grate to make breadcrumbs. Don't worry if the middle of the slice is soft - you can throw that away.

5. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 25g of cheddar.
6. When your pasta is ready, add the leeks and bacon then mix thoroughly with your sauce.
7. Spread the pasta evenly across a deep dish and sprinkle on your topping. Grill on a medium heat for a few minutes to allow the topping to cook.
8. Serve (with tomato ketchup if you're still a big kid like me) and let all your worries slide away!

*If your eyes are bigger than your belly and you find yourself with leftovers, don't despair! Macaroni cheese is a fabulous lunch and will make you the envy of the office. Simply pour a splash of milk onto your pasta and mix through, then microwave for 45 seconds. Lucky you!