Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the sandwich:

4 slices from a white sourdough or crusty white loaf

20g butter, melted

1 tsp Dijon mustard

100g grated gruyere

4 thin slices of smoked ham

For the bechamel sauce:

125mL milk

125mL cream

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 bay leaves

1 small onion, chopped

20g butter

20g plain flour

1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

Nutmeg, ground

Salt and pepper

For the mustard mayo:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp mayonnaise

Method:

First, make the bechamel sauce. Put the milk, cream, garlic, bay leaves and onion in a small pan over a medium heat and stir together. Heat until nearly boiling, then turn the heat off and leave for 10 minutes to infuse. Pass the liquid through a sieve and discard the bay leaves and onion.

Melt the butter with the flour in another pan and cook over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly, then add the Dijon mustard, a sprinkle of nutmeg and salt/pepper. It should be a thick creamy sauce with a deep flavour.

Brush the slices of bread with melted butter. Place them on a baking tray and toast one side under a grill, buttered-side up, until golden. Take them out and heat oven to 220C.

Turn the bread over and spread each slice with a thin layer of Dijon, followed by a layer of the bechamel. Cover the sauce with grated gruyere, and then a slice of ham. Form the slices into two sandwiches, spread a thin layer of the sauce over the top slice and sprinkle more gruyere on top. Put the sandwiches in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Mix the mustard and mayo together and serve on the side.