The first thing I ever “cooked”. When Mum let us grate cheddar on to day-old bread. Eyes level with the electric grill. Watching the alchemy, seeing the cheese become molten, stringy. The early magic of making your own tea. I still crave Jeremy Lee’s cheese straws, and now I can bake my own. Chef Tim Siadatan has shared Padella’s perfect pici cacio e pepe, Alex Jackson his brilliant aligot. Simon Hopkinson offers his elegant roquefort salad, Tomos Parry his famous cheesecake. We have Marcella Hazan’s definitive parmesan risotto and Kitty Travers’s ricotta ice-cream. Plus, of course, the ultimate toastie. All the cheese pleasers. From OFM to you.
The spike of mustard and pepper with warm melted cheese on flaky pastry is hugely pleasing.
Use the best farmhouse cheddar you can find – nothing compares to montgomery cheddar for this.
Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
The seasonal varieties from Spain and Italy are an entirely different affair from the ripe summer fruits we normally think of.
If you can, source sweet and creamy grenier potatoes for this simple dish.
Half wholemeal and half plain flour gives the pastry extra flavour and texture.
Fresh, crisp, salty, sweet and fragrantly oily – this salad is perfect with cool and crumbly roquefort.
Jazz up your mac and cheese with this fresh take – a great way to get your kids to eat more fish.
Photograph: Clair Irwin
This is an extravagant dish, but channel India and enjoy yourself.
This taqueria snack utilises British and Irish cheeses while retaining the creamy texture of the Mexican version.
Pici is a wonderful dense pasta found all over Tuscany and is as frugal as it gets.
This rich dish is smoky with urfa chilli, coriander seeds and nigella.
Photograph: Haydon Perrior
Serve a fat slice of this with crisp lemony leaves, or on the side of sticky slow-roast lamb.
Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Tender broad beans brighten up this comforting pastry dish.
Henry Miller helps himself to the entire top of this souffle in the film Henry & June.
No celebration is complete without this Palestinian institution – these are best eaten the day they are drizzled with sugar syrup.
These are perfect with some fresh tomatoes and olives for breakfast.
Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Make a special effort to obtain authentic, aged, Italian parmigiano-reggiano from the best supplier you know.
This uses a cheese called tomme fraîche de Cantal: very young, unsalted, squeaky curds that, when melted, go really stringy.
This ricotta ice-cream provides a cool background for the rich mixture of bitter chocolate chips, pistachio nuts and luminous candied citrus peel.
The secret here is the outer crust, which is cooked on a higher heat until heavily toasted, while the inside stays soft.
Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
The Observer aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US