Gordon’s macaroni cheese

Serves 4

Stichelton is a blue cheese made from unpasteurised cow’s milk on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. It has a full and creamy flavour, a succulent buttery texture and mild spiciness from the mould which gives this version of macaroni cheese a delicious kick. Now is the beginning of the much celebrated mushroom season, so look out for interesting wild varieties such as ceps, honshimeji, blewits and chanterelles.

400g dried macaroni

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Large knob of butter, plus extra for greasing

2 tbsp olive oil

300g mixture of wild mushrooms

Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves stripped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 banana shallots or 1 onion, chopped

100g pancetta, chopped

75ml white wine

200ml crème fraîche

4 egg yolks

Handful of tarragon and parsley, finely chopped

100g each parmesan and Gruyère, grated

100g blue cheese, such as Stichelton or Stilton

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water according to pack timings, until al dente. Drain and rinse under a cold running tap until cold. Return the pasta to the pan and set aside.

2 Melt the butter with half the olive oil in a sauté pan. Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim the stalks and tear or slice into even pieces. Tip the mushrooms into the pan, sprinkle over the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Tip on to a plate and set aside.

3 Add the remaining oil to the pan with the chopped shallots and pancetta. Cook over a medium heat for 6-7 minutes until the shallots are soft and the pancetta has released its fat and browned.

4 Return the mushrooms to the pan, then pour in the wine. Increase the heat and let bubble until reduced by half. Remove from the heat. Whisk the crème fraîche, egg yolks, herbs, half the parmesan and the Gruyère together with some seasoning. Crumble in the blue cheese, then toss the mixture through the cooked macaroni.

5 Lightly butter a 20 x 30cm ovenproof baking dish, then pour in the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until piping hot and golden and crisp on top. Remove and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a crisp green salad.

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