Welsh
Photo: Bake Across Europe · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

The dish is Welsh in origin and English in name, and how it reached the Nord is not settled. One story puts Welsh soldiers at Baincthun during the 1544 siege of Boulogne, though no reliable source supports it. What is certain is that it took root along the Cote d'Opale and across Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where the French version is heavier and more orange than the British one. Lille has run a Welsh'Fest every November since 2023, which tells you how seriously the city takes it.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Milk

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 400g mature cheddar, grated
  • 150ml blonde or amber beer
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 thick slices country bread
  • 2 slices cooked ham
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Black pepper
  • Frites, to serve

Method

  1. Toast the bread on both sides and spread it with mustard. Lay a slice of ham on each.
  2. Warm the beer in a small pan until it steams, then add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until smooth.
  3. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the egg yolk and a good grind of pepper.
  4. Sit the toasts in two shallow ovenproof dishes and pour the cheese over them.
  5. Grill at full heat for 4 to 5 minutes until blistered and deep brown on top.
  6. Serve at once with frites piled alongside, and a glass of the same beer.

Tip from the editors. Do not let the cheese boil after the yolk goes in or it will split into oil and curds.

Where to eat welsh

Welsh in Lille

L'Estaminet du Welsh ★ 4.0

€€ French regionalVieux Lille

L'Estaminet du Welsh on Rue de Gand in Lille runs a lunch menu at 12.90 euros and a plat du jour from 9.90, built around a dozen welsh variations.

TryWelsh au maroilles

TipThe plat du jour starts at 9.90 euros, which is the cheapest sit-down welsh in Vieux-Lille.

Directions

Au Georges V ★ 4.3

€€ French regionalVauban Esquermes

Au Georges V on Boulevard de la Liberté in Lille calls itself the temple of welsh, and runs a smoked version alongside potjevleesch and carbonade.

OrderThe welsh fumé, made with a blend of classic and smoked cheddar.

TipA vegetarian welsh is on the card. The current owners took the place on in 2022.

Directions

La Ducasse ★ 4.2

€€ French regionalGambetta

La Ducasse has anchored the corner of Rue Solférino in Lille since 1979, an estaminet of welsh, carbonade flamande and andouillette casseroles.

OrderThe welsh, cheddar melted flat under the grill.

TipThe estaminet has kept the same regional card since 1979, cooked from fresh local produce.

Directions

Estaminet Chez Ronny ★ 4.1

€€ French regionalVieux Lille

Chez Ronny on Rue de Gand in Lille is a 1970s-dressed estaminet named for the northern artist Ronny Coutteure, cooking northern French and Belgian plates.

OrderBoulets à la liégeoise, the Belgian meatballs in sirop de Liège.

TipSunday is lunch only, and it runs on bookings. It is the newest estaminet on this stretch of Vieux-Lille.

Directions

Le Barbier qui Fume (Place Rihour) ★ 4.0

€€ American BBQLille CentreUntil 00:00

The Place Rihour branch of Le Barbier qui Fume in Lille runs non-stop from 10:00 to midnight, and puts smoked ham and Galloway cheddar in its welsh.

TryWelsh with smoked ham and Galloway cheddar

TipNon-stop service all day means you can eat here at 16:00 when nothing else is cooking.

Directions

Les Compagnons de la Grappe ★ 4.3

€€ FrenchVieux Lille

Les Compagnons de la Grappe hides down a corridor off Rue Lepelletier in Lille, a courtyard terrace serving welsh, carbonade and grilled meat non-stop.

OrderOnglet frites, cooked over the grill.

TipThe kitchen runs straight through the afternoon, which makes this the answer to a 16:00 arrival.

Directions

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