Macaroni cheese with Oak Smoked Tomatoes

• 200g Isle of Wight Oak Smoked Tomatoes
• 300g macaroni
• 500ml full cream milk
• 40g butter
• 35g plain flour
• 200g mature cheddar cheese, plus 50g extra for the top
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 25g coarse day-old white breadcrumbs
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drain the oil off the tomatoes and save for another dish or salad dressing. Spread the tomatoes out on kitchen paper and leave to drain. Cut half the tomatoes in half.

Preheat the oven to 190˚C / fan 170˚C / Gas 5. Drop the macaroni into a large pan of boiling salted water, stir once or twice as it comes back to the boil to ensure that none has stuck to the base of the pan. Cook for 8 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile, bring the milk almost to the boil in a pan, then turn off the heat. Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually beat in the hot milk.

Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Drain the macaroni thoroughly. Add 200g of the grated cheese, the paprika and some seasoning to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted, then stir in the macaroni and the halved Oak Smoked Tomatoes.

Spoon the mixture into a 1.5 litre shallow ovenproof dish and scatter over the remaining whole Oak Smoked Tomatoes. Mix the remaining 50g of cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.