Easy Mac and Cheese Recipe UK

UK mac and cheese with metric measurements.

400g pasta, 200g cheddar, 500ml milk, 50g butter, 50g flour.

Cook pasta two minutes less.

Make roux, add milk, melt cheese off heat.

Combine and serve in twenty minutes.

Use block cheese, whole milk, grate fresh.

Add bacon or swap cheeses for variations.

This easy mac and cheese recipe adapts the classic for UK kitchens with metric measurements.

American recipes use cups and ounces. This version uses grams and millilitres straight from UK kitchen scales.

Metric measurements you can weigh

Weigh everything. No cup conversions needed.

Best British cheeses

Grate fresh from the block. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that ruin sauce texture.

• Cheddar: Mature or extra mature for depth. Supermarket own-brand works.
• Red Leicester: Mix with cheddar for colour and nutty flavour.
• Cheshire: Adds sharpness. Use half and half with cheddar.

UK pantry staples

Use what you have in British cupboards.

• Mustard: English mustard powder (½ tsp) gives gentle heat.
• Pasta: Standard 400g bag from Tesco, Sainsbury's or Aldi.
• Milk: Whole milk makes creamiest sauce.

Hob and grill method

Cook sauce on hob. Finish under grill for crispy topping if baking.

You need 400g pasta, 200g strong cheddar, 500ml milk, 50g butter and 50g flour.

Five ingredients. Get them all out before you start.

Core ingredients breakdown

Optional extras that work

• 50g Parmesan: Mix with cheddar for umami depth
• 1 tsp English mustard powder: Cuts richness
• Pinch of nutmeg: Warms the flavour
• Black pepper: Freshly cracked, lots of it
• 100g cooked bacon: Fry crispy, stir through at end
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce: Adds savoury kick

Quality matters

Buy block cheese. Pre-grated has cellulose. Cellulose makes sauce grainy.

Check pasta packets. Cheap pasta releases too much starch. Too much starch makes sauce gluey.

Whole milk is non-negotiable. Semi-skimmed curdles. Skimmed ruins texture.

Scaling up or down

Keep ratios the same. 100g pasta needs 50g cheese, 125ml milk, 12.5g butter and flour.

Double the recipe: 800g pasta, 400g cheese, 1L milk, 100g butter and flour.

Half the recipe: 200g pasta, 100g cheese, 250ml milk, 25g butter and flour.

Small batches cook faster. Watch the pan.

Store cupboard swaps

No cheddar? Use Red Leicester or Double Gloucester.

Out of butter? Margarine works but tastes flat.

No plain flour? Self-raising works but adds slight baking powder taste.

Cook pasta, make cheese sauce, combine everything and serve in 20 minutes.

Start timer when water hits hob. Stop when bowls reach table.

Minute-by-minute breakdown

Speed tips

• Grate cheese while water heats. Use food processor if you have one.
• Measure milk into jug beforehand. Grab and pour.
• Put butter in saucepan on lowest heat while pasta cooks. It melts slowly, ready when you are.
• Keep whisk in saucepan. No time to hunt for it.
• Undercook pasta. It finishes cooking in hot sauce.

One-pan method (optional)

Cook pasta in milk directly. Saves washing up. Riskier. Milk can burn.

• Put 400g pasta, 500ml milk, 500ml water in large pan.
• Simmer 8-10 mins until pasta is just tender. Stir constantly.
• Add butter and cheese. Stir until melted. Sauce thickens as it cools.

What not to do

• Don't walk away from roux. It burns in 30 seconds.
• Don't add cheese to boiling sauce. It separates and gets stringy.
• Don't dump all milk in at once. Lumps form. Add gradually.
• Don't use low heat for sauce. It takes forever. Medium heat works.

Test for doneness

Pasta: Bite a piece. Should be firm centre, not chalky.

Sauce: Coats back of spoon. Run finger through. Line stays clear.

Cheese: Fully melted. Smooth. No grainy bits.

Grate cheese fresh and undercook pasta for the creamiest texture.

Two rules separate grainy from silky. Fresh cheese melts smooth. Undercooked pasta releases starch to thicken sauce.

Fresh cheese vs pre-grated

Pre-grated cheese contains cellulose and potato starch. These stop caking. They also stop melting. Your sauce turns grainy and clumpy.

Grate cheese when you start boiling water. Room temperature cheese melts faster and smoother.

Undercook pasta by 2 minutes

Hot sauce continues cooking pasta. Drain pasta 2 minutes before packet time. Pasta releases starch into sauce. Starch thickens without floury taste.

Temperature control

• Cheese: Room temp (20°C) melts evenly. Fridge-cold cheese (4°C) seizes.
• Pasta: Drain when steaming hot. Cold pasta makes sauce greasy.
• Sauce: Keep warm but not boiling. Boiling breaks cheese.

Common mistakes

• Rinsing pasta washes away starch. Sauce slides off.
• Adding cheese to boiling sauce splits it. Take sauce off heat first.
• Overcooked pasta turns mushy in sauce. No texture.

Add bacon, swap in Red Leicester, or bake with breadcrumbs for variations.

Start with the basic recipe. Add these changes.

Add bacon or ham

Fry 100g diced streaky bacon until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Stir through finished mac and cheese. Use the bacon fat instead of butter for the roux. Smoked bacon adds depth. For ham, dice 100g cooked ham. Add at the end. No extra cooking needed.

Cheese swaps beyond cheddar

Bake with crunchy topping

Make mac and cheese as normal. Transfer to ovenproof dish. Mix 50g fresh breadcrumbs with 25g melted butter and 25g Parmesan. Scatter over top. Grill for 3-4 minutes until golden. Or bake at 200°C for 10 minutes. Panko breadcrumbs give extra crunch. Don't bake longer. Sauce dries out.

5-minute flavour boosts

• Spicy: Add 1 tsp chipotle paste or ½ tsp cayenne to roux
• Vegetables: Stir through 100g frozen peas or cooked broccoli
• Garlic: Cook 1 minced clove in butter for 30 seconds before flour
• Herbs: Mix in 1 tbsp fresh chives or parsley at the end
• Truffle: Drizzle few drops truffle oil over finished dish