Grilled red Leicester, ham and chilli jam sandwiches

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour 10 minutes if making the jam

Makes 2 sandwiches (pictured top of the stack, right)

There’s only one farmhouse producer of red Leicester left in Leicestershire, and we would urge you to track them down. Sparkenhoe red Leicester is cloth-bound and made with raw milk in the traditional manner with a soulful, savoury flavour and flaky texture. Make the chilli jam here, or use shop-bought; Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam is great.

INGREDIENTS

For the chilli jam (makes approx 400g)

– 500g red peppers, deseeded and chopped

– 110g fresh red chilli,

chopped

– 4 garlic cloves,

chopped

– 10g fresh root ginger,

peeled and chopped – 135g honey

– 135g caster sugar – 100ml red wine

vinegar

For the sandwiches

– 50g salted butter – 4 sourdough bread

slices

– 2 thick-cut slices of

good-quality ham – 60g chilli jam – 200g red Leicester

cheese, grated

METHOD

To make the chilli jam, place the peppers, chilli, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blend well to a paste.

Add the paste, along with the honey, sugar and red wine vinegar, to a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to a simmer. Gently simmer until it starts to caramelise, about 30-40 minutes.

Reduce the heat and gently cook for 20 minutes, until it turns a deep red colour and has a sticky consistency. Transfer to a clean airtight container and allow to cool before sealing. It will keep for two weeks in the fridge.

For the sandwiches, melt the butter in a pan over a low-medium heat, then butter the bread: lay out your four slices and brush the melted butter on to one side of each. Flip the slices over.

Lay a slice of ham on each of two slices of bread. Next, add half the chilli jam to each followed by half of the red Leicester (cup the cheese in your hands and press it into a sort of rugby ball shape, then push this down on to the slice).

Top with the other two slices of bread, ensuring the buttered side is on top.

Place the sandwiches in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, applying pressure to the top of the them using a spatula or fish slice while they are cooking, as this will help the cheese to melt.

Flip the sandwiches over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown and the cheese is oozing out.