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Mary Berry Macaroni Cheese

A proper baked macaroni cheese from Mary Berry's Cookery Course, with Parmesan, Dijon mustard and cherry tomatoes on top. Creamy, golden, and feeds four alongside some crusty bread.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g short-cut macaroni
  • 30 g butter plus a little extra for greasing
  • 30 g plain flour
  • 600 ml hot whole milk
  • 115 g mature Cheddar grated
  • 60 g Parmesan grated
  • 1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 cherry tomatoes halved
  • A small handful of fresh parsley chopped, to serve

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Lightly butter a medium, shallow baking dish.
  2. Cook the macaroni in well-salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, until just tender with a slight bite. Drain well.
  3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until pale and sandy.
  4. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, a splash at a time, until smooth. Keep stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  5. Take off the heat. Stir in most of the Cheddar and Parmesan (keep a handful of each back for the top) and the Dijon mustard. Season well with salt and pepper.
  6. Fold the drained macaroni into the sauce until fully coated.
  7. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Scatter over the reserved cheese, then press the cherry tomatoes, cut-side up, across the top.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and golden, and the tomatoes have softened. Rest for 5 minutes, then scatter over the parsley to serve.

Notes

  • Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-grated bags have a coating that stops them melting smoothly into the sauce.
  • Can be assembled up to a day ahead and refrigerated unbaked. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time if going in cold.
  • This version freezes okay but the sauce texture is better fresh. For a recipe designed to freeze, Mary Berry's At Home version is the better bet.