It feels like the right time of year to start melting cheese. It is the one “fresh” ingredient that most people seem to have lurking somewhere in the back of the fridge, and the surest way to bring substance to a quick meal - not to mention your waistline.

For a sad old hunk of cheddar, a classic Welsh rarebit (rabbit) is the best answer. Grate and beat with Worcestershire sauce, mustard and a slug of beer - preferably stout - before smearing over toast and putting under the grill until golden and bubbling.

Now that Vacherin is well and truly back in season, grab it whenever you see one. The small size makes a perfect instant fondue for two: remove the lid and any plastic, poke a hole in the middle, stuff in a little thyme, a few slivers of garlic and some white wine (not too dry), replace the lid and bake in a fairly hot oven for 10-15 minutes. When it's ready, dunk crusty bread in it, and enjoy while drinking the rest of the wine. A whole Camembert will work using this method too.

If you want to bake soft cheese, but don't have a whole one, wrap it instead in ready-rolled puff pastry and pinch the ends together to seal it into a parcel before baking (follow instructions on the pastry packet - it will probably want a good 20 minutes in a hot oven). For a different take on a retro classic, first spread the inside of the pastry with cranberry or redcurrant jelly.

Welsh rarebit with pea shoots and mustard leaf

Add a clutch of pea shoots and mustard leaves and you'll come back for more

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BACKGROUND

• The big cheese

• Welsh rarebit with mustard and leeks

• Welsh rabbit with leeks

BACKGROUND

• Slice of life

• Foodstyle: The ultimate: Cheese on toast

• Cooking: Good things on toast

To cheat at raclette, cut the rind off Beaufort or Gruyère, and put into a buttered oven-proof dish. Bake in a very hot oven for 15 minutes until molten, and eat with bread or even better, boiled waxy potatoes.

If the cheese begins to solidify before you have finished, simply return to the oven for a few minutes.

If you prefer the idea of a southern Mediterranean (and possibly lighter) cheese bake, wrap a block of feta in silver foil, add a little good olive oil and a few oregano or thyme leaves, seal and bake for 15 minutes. Excellent in lightly toasted pitta with cucumber, tomatoes and olives.

For an (almost) instant pasta sauce, melt Dolcelatte in cream along with a little pounded clove of garlic and toss well through spaghetti. Scatter with walnut pieces, dry-toasted first in a frying pan for a few minutes, and eat with a bitter chicory salad.

But don't blame me if you can't fit into your Christmas frock.

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