The Cheese Thing

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to al dente. It's better to undercook than to overcook, as the pasta will continue cooking in the oven.

Cut the cheddar into small cubes, around 2-3cm square. The cheese is diced rather than grated so that it will melt into delicious puddles when baked. It's important to use two different strengths of cheese to provide contrast in the flavour.

Open the tinned tomatoes and, using a small knife, cut them into small pieces in the can.

When the pasta is finished, drain well but don't rinse. Add the butter to the pot and stir until the pasta is coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cubed cheese and stir to evenly distribute, but avoid too much melting. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the sugar and mix well.

Transfer everything to an appropriately-sized oven dish or casserole. Don’t flatten the pasta on top- let the ends stick up to create an uneven surface that will brown and create delicious crunchy ends.

You can cover and let rest for a few hours, or you can bake straight away. Cook for 40-50 mins at 200°C (180° for a fan oven) or until the top is browned. Don’t worry if some of the pasta looks burnt, these are the best bits!