Ham & Cheese Toastie Soldiers

Ingredients

• 4 slices white bread
• 4 slices ham
• 80 g cheddar, grated
• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Butter the outside of each slice of bread generously, right to the edges — every dry patch is a pale patch later. Spread the mustard thinly on the inside of two slices and season the cheese with a pinch of salt and a good crack of black pepper as you go; cheddar needs a little help.
2. Layer the ham and grated cheddar on the mustard sides, then press the other slices on top, buttered-side out. Press firmly so the toastie holds together when you flip it.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium — not high, or the bread scorches before the cheese melts. Lay the toasties in and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the bread is deep golden and crisp and the cheese has melted into ropes when you peek at the edges. If you hear loud sizzling and smell toast going past golden, drop the heat.
4. Lift onto a board and let them settle for a minute — this stops the cheese escaping the moment you cut. Taste a corner: if the cheddar tastes flat, a final flake of sea salt over the top sharpens everything.
5. Slice each toastie into four soldiers, stack them on the plate with the bowl of tomato soup or ketchup alongside for dunking, and serve straight away while the centres are still molten.