Welsh rarebit is one of those things that I could eat over and over again and still come back for more. It's an old-fashioned dish that hardly anyone seems to know how to pronounce, but it is worth trying to get it right as it's starting to crop up again on the menus of smart restaurants.

When I tried explaining once to an Australian chef that it was pronounced “rabbit”, he thought that I was pulling his leg. So why is it written rarebit, he wanted to know. I searched through some of my old English cookery books for an answer. The closest I got was that the name probably originated in the 18th century as an insult to the Welsh. While rabbit was a poor man's meat in England, in Wales the poor man's “meat” was cheese. I was delighted to see that at Hix Oyster and Chop House, the award-winning chef Mark Hix's new restaurant in Farringdon, North London, it is even written as “rabbit” on the menu.

But if it was an intended insult in the 18th century, I think that the Welsh may have the last laugh. What could be a better supper than this? Extra mature cheddar - made the way it's supposed to by the old multistepped cheddaring process - a dollop of mustard, either grainy for a speckled look or Colman's for its fiery character, and a lovely dark British ale that has been brewed for its rich, yeasty flavour, all melted together and grilled on a proper slice of crusty well-made bread.

In the days when people had terrific appetites, they would eat rarebit for pudding as a “savoury” in place of the cheese and biscuits that we serve today. It makes an excellent supper dish when paired with a simple salad: some summer garden lettuce, a handful of mustard leaves or rocket, or maybe a clutch of pea shoots to really add flavour.

I first had pea shoots a year ago but, despite enjoying the fresh-tasting, pea-like burst of flavour that you get as you bite into them, I thought they would be a rather rarefied and over-priced ingredient. Not so. An enterprising company is growing them for Waitrose and some branches of Marks & Spencer. Not only are these bags of green goodness much better for you than the average apple, but unlike 99 per cent of other salad bags, they are washed in pure water and not that horrible chlorine. All for 99p.

I would buy a bag or two of these shoots and mix them with some frisée and baby gem lettuces. Dress the leaves with some thinly-sliced shallot, a scattering of capers and a light vinaigrette, and serve your rounds of rarebit to your dearest friends.

Welsh rarebit recipe:

Feeds 4

60g butter

1 tbsp plain flour

100ml of a good, local ale

300g of a good quality English cheddar or Lancashire

2 tsp of Colman's mustard

(or a good Tewkesbury mustard)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices of bread, toasted

A collection of salad leaves

The method:

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the flour. Cook the mixture for three to four minutes and then slowly add the ale, stirring vigorously as you go, letting the flour cook out. Turn the heat down, add the mustard, cheese and seasoning, and stir over a low heat until the cheese has melted. Check for seasoning again, adding more mustard if you think it needs it. Pour the cheese mixture over the toast and heat on a rack under a hot grill until the cheese starts to brown. Serve with the salad.

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