Jamie Oliver's No 1 toasted cheese sandwich

I usually don't watch very much TV, except of course the Great British Bakeoff. But lately I have been stuck in front of the telly quite a bit as I have been knitting again after a long break (the results will be on show on the crafting blog at some point). One evening I happened to sit in front of the telly when Jamie Oliver's Comfort Food was on. When I saw him make this "No 1" toasted cheese sandwich I immediately knew I had to try it. We didn't have any bread at home, so to make my dreams come true I had to start by baking my own bread. I decided to make this oats and honey sandwich bread (although Jamie recommends using a simple white bloomer). 

I assume I don't need to tell you that eating one of these will probably decrease your life expectancy by at least a few months... But this blog is not called InvisiblePinkHealthFood, and bread and cheese are my ultimate cravings so I just had to try it. I won't say it will become a staple in our kitchen, I think I need to give my arteries a decade or so to recover but it was worth trying. I suspect other grilled cheeses will seem a bit plain after making this. I even dare to suggest that I have improved on a Jamie Oliver original recipe as we decided to add some chorizo to the sandwich - you can go plain and do it the Jamie way, or take it up a notch with the added chorizo.

Jamie Oliver's No 1 Toasted Cheese Sandwich (for 1):
2 slices of bread
butter
grated cheese (suggestions cheddar and Red Leicester)
(a few slices of chorizo)

The howto:
Butter the bread slices on both sides. Grate a generous amount of cheese onto one slice, and add the optional chorizo. Place the other slice on top. Toast the sandwich in a pan over medium heat, about 3 minutes per side. This should result in a golden brown sandwich with gooey melted cheese inside. Weigh the sandwich down with a plate or something else similar while it's cooking. Remove from the pan and grate a thin layer of cheese into the pan, making sure you cover the entire surface of the pan. This will make the cheese crown of the sandwich and is the crowning (pun intended) glory of this sarnie. Place the sandwich back into the middle of the pan and let the cheese cook for about a minute, until it has melted and formed a uniform "mat". At this point you can add a pinch of cayenne to the cheese. Then slide a flipper spatula under the sandwich, making sure the whole cheese "mat" is holding together. Gently lift the whole shebang up, so that the cheese "mat" hangs down over the edges of the spatula. Keep it lifted for about half a minute, until the cheese has set, and when you turn the sandwich around, the hardened cheese will form a "crown" for the sandwich. Serve with brown and/or red sauce and/or some chutney.

The verdict:
This is just as good as you would imagine it is. Possibly a tad better. If you are not big on bread and cheese, don't try this. It tastes like bread and cheese. To the umpteenth power. And it's glorious! Like I said, I don't think I will be making it very often as it probably contains a week's allowance of calories, but it's worth every one of those calories. I can imagine this is the ultimate hangover food but it's also great for a decadent weekend brunch.