WITH the cold weather firmly here, it's high time we had a few warming dishes that are just perfect for when it's wet and windy outside.

Any type of smoked fish will work with this dish, with the exception of salmon. If you fancy it, you can cook the fish until it's ready to eat, then flake it into the rarebit mixture and toast onto some thick sliced crusty bread.

This is the perfect treat for curling up in the warm with a good book and a big mug of tea.

Smoked Haddock with Welsh Rarebit

Serves: four

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

175g mature Cheddar

60ml milk

40g plain flour

15g fresh white breadcrumbs

1 x 5ml spoons English mustard

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

One medium size egg

One x 15ml spoons olive oil

Four fillets smoked haddock

Method

Melt the cheese and milk slowly in a saucepan over a gentle heat.

Stir in the flour, breadcrumbs and mustard and cook for two minutes.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and allow to cool.

When the mixture is cool beat in the egg. (This is easily done in a food processor). Leave to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the haddock, skin side down, for three or four minutes, until nearly cooked through.

Place the haddock on a grill pan and carefully press the Welsh rarebit mixture on top of each fillet.

Grill under a medium to high preheated grill for four or five minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve with boiled new potatoes or fresh crusty bread.

**Guardian chef Nick Haywood is a Sainsbury's chef in london Colney. To find out more about new or unusual ingedients, or to ask food-related questions, call him onj 01727 744446 or email him on chef.londoncolney @sainsburys.co.uk