Elevating the classic ham and cheese concoction, this sandwich delivers distinctive flavour in every bite. Ham hock, rarebit sauce, onion marmalade and foccaccia proves a winning combination.

Ingredients: 

Rarebit Focaccia Dough

  • 500g strong white flour
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 20g honey
  • 10g fine salt
  • 10ml olive oil
  • 450ml lukewarm water

Welsh Rarebit Sauce

  • 50g butter
  • 30g plain flour
  • 10g Dijon mustard
  • 10g Marmite
  • 175g mature Welsh cheddar, grated
  • 8g Worcestershire sauce
  • 150ml stout, ale or beer
  • (or beef stock / milk for non-alcoholic)

Method or Assembly Order:

Focaccia Base

  1. Mix flour, yeast, honey and water until shaggy.
  2. Rest 10 minutes, then add salt and olive oil.
  3. Stretch & fold every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours.
  4. Ferment overnight in the fridge. 
  5. Take out of fridge and leave to come up to room temperature.
  6. Generously cover with Olive oil and flaky salt and then dimple to create air bubbles. 

Notes

  • High hydration dough should feel loose and bubbly.

Welsh Rarebit Sauce

  1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes to form roux.
  3. Whisk in mustard, Marmite and Worcestershire.
  4. Gradually whisk in stout (or stock/milk).
  5. Simmer gently until thick and glossy.
  6. Remove from heat, fold in grated cheddar until smooth.
  7. Cool completely.

Notes

  • Sauce must be fully cooled before adding to dough or it will kill yeast.
  • Texture should be spreadable, not runny.

Folding Rarebit into the Dough

  1. Turn proved dough onto lightly oiled bench.
  2. Spread cooled rarebit sauce evenly over surface.
  3. Fold dough repeatedly (envelope style) to encase sauce.
  4. Transfer to oiled tray, gently dimple and prove 30–40 minutes.
  5. Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until deeply golden.

Notes

  • Fold gently to avoid forcing sauce out.
  • Dough should wobble before baking.

Not only did this cheesy treat see creator Sophie Piccirilli from The FSC Group win the Kings Fine Cooked Meats Cammon Category, she also took the crown with the Sandwich & Food to Do Design of the Year award at the Sandwich & Food to Go Designer 2026 competition for the same sandwich. 

Here's what Sophie had to say about their inspiration:

“As a development chef with Italian heritage, I wanted to present these traditional British flavours in a modern Italian carrier. Focaccia is increasingly popular across cafés and grab-and-go formats because of its deep-fill capability, visual appeal and premium perception, making it the ideal vehicle to modernise a classic.”