Cheddar Marmite Rolls

Cheddar Marmite Rolls are soft and fluffy, filled with savory Marmite and extra sharp cheddar and baked till golden brown. A great breakfast or snack!

Marmite is a thick, salty spread made from yeast extract, enjoyed by many and probably hated by even more. It’s a very divisive ingredient by all accounts. Some people say that you have to grow up eating it to like this quintessential British foodstuff but I know quite a few British folks who are on the NOPE, NEVER side. 

As further proof, I did not grow up eating it. In fact, I only came across it as a fully grown adult but I love it! Hot buttered toast with lashings of Marmite? Divine. Steaming bowl of pasta with creamy butter and generous spoon of Marmite stirred through it? The perfect meal. Fortunately, my husband feels the same. 

In fact, I made these rolls at his request. This month our host chose Loaves of Love for our Bread Bakers theme so I asked what he would like me to bake. Cheddar Marmite Rolls was the answer. We both adored them.

Cheddar Marmite Rolls

If you don’t have Marmite, you can use its less pungent Australian sibling Vegemite. I don’t know of any other possible substitutes! This recipe is adapted from one on Tasting Thyme. It makes 12 large rolls. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 360ml warm water (100-110°F or 38–43°C)

1 tablespoon potato flour/starch 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dried yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 2/3 cups or 456g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling out

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the mixing bowl

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup or 60ml Marmite

8 oz or 225g grated extra mature cheddar, divided

Method

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the potato starch, yeast and sugar with the warm water and set aside for a few minutes. This should activate the yeast. If it doesn’t start to foam and bubble up, discard and start over with new yeast. 

Add the flour, olive oil and salt to the yeast bowl. 

Mix with the dough hook until it forms a sticky dough. 

Knead for 8-10 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and stretchy. Form it into a tight ball. 

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bowl and roll the dough ball around to coat. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes - 1 hour or until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and put it on a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12 x 16 in or 40x30cm. Put the Marmite in a heatproof bowl, and warm gently in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, just to loosen it. Spread this over the rectangle of dough, making an effort to go to the sides but leaving an edge at the top and bottom. 

Separate out about small pile of the grated cheddar to use for topping then sprinkle the dough with the rest in an even layer. 

Dampen the top edge with a little water, then from the longest edge, roll the dough up into a tight log. 

Finish with the seam side down so that it sticks closed. 

Line a baking pan with parchment or a silicone liner. 

Cut the roll into 12 reasonably equal slices.

Place them on your prepared pan, close together but leaving a little space for expansion. Cover with greased cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 mins – 1 hour.

Once your rising time is nearly up, preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Sprinkle the risen rolls with the reserved grated cheese. 

Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Do be careful not to let the cheese topping burn. You can cover the buns with foil if you are worried, to protect the top while they finish baking. 

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack.

Leave to cool slightly before serving warm. (We ate the leftovers either at room temperature or after a quick zap in the microwave. Delightful either way.)

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, our Bread Bakers theme this month is Loaves of Love because it’s February, the month for Valentines! Celebrate with someone you love by baking for them. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the loving links below. 

• Beet Feta Twisted Heart Bread from Magical Ingredients
• Cheddar Marmite Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Cheesy Twisted Heart Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Double Chocolate Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Extra Gooey Sticky Buns from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Heart Shaped Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
• Rose Petal Pistachio Cardamom Sourdough Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon

Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon is a delicious, hearty dish made from dried legumes, bacon, onion and garlic, simmered long and slow in broth. It’s a real bowl of comfort food on a cold day. 

I make this dish at least once a year, for New Year’s Day, but I realized recently that I had never shared it. 

The folder with all the photos has many different pots, as evidence of the many times I intended to and took pictures to that end so don’t be alarmed if the cooking pot suddenly changes color or shape as you read on! The recipe remains the same. 

By Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is meant to bring you good luck all year long. Does it work? Who knows but I know better than to test my luck by going without! 

Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon

I like to use a small slab of smoked bacon which I cut up for this dish but if that’s not available to you, use an equal amount of sliced bacon or even smoked sausage. 

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g dried black-eyed peas 

5 1/3 oz or 150g smoked bacon

1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2-3 bay leaves

Fine sea salt to taste

To serve:

hot pepper sauce

cooked rice

parsley for garnish, if desired

Method

Put the black-eyed peas in a large pot and quick-soak by covering them – plus a couple of inches more - with boiling water. 

Put the lid on the pot and leave the peas to soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the peas.

Chop the onion.

Chop the garlic and cut the bacon slab into thick pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the smoked bacon, black pepper, cayenne and bay leaves and stir well. 

Add in the rinsed black-eyed peas and give the whole pot a good stir. 

Pour in the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the peas are very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure the stock hasn't evaporated completely, adding a little more water, if necessary.

Taste for seasonings, and add salt and more freshly ground black pepper, if needed. Some smoked bacon can be quite salty so it’s best to wait till the end of cooking time before adding salt. Discard the bay leaves. 

Serve the black-eyed peas with some hot pepper sauce, if desired, over cooked white rice. In southern Louisiana, we would also serve this with a homemade relish we call chow-chow. Garnish with a little chopped parsley, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes make with dried beans. Many thanks to our host Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below.

• Black-eyed Peas with Bacon from Food Lust People Love
• Indian Style Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Instant Pot 13 Bean Soup with Ham from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Instant Pot Mexican Pinto Beans from Making Miracles
• Meatless Shepherd's Pie from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Protein Rich Devil's Food Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Punjabi Style Chitra Rajma Masala with Homemade Rajma Masala from Sneha's Recipe
• Rajma Pulav - Kidney Beans Pulav from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Slow Cooker Chicken and White Bean Soup from Our Good Life
• Vegan Butter Bean Beetroot Salad from Cook with Renu

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Traditional Cullen Skink

Made with poached smoked haddock, potatoes and onions, this traditional Cullen skink is a creamy, thick, savory soup, the perfect bowl of warming goodness.

Last Autumn, on a chilly rainy day, my husband and I decided to stop in at an island pub for some lunch. Their soup of the day was Cullen skink, a fish soup I had enjoyed many years back on a visit to Scotland. That original bowl was creamy and thick with potato bits and smoky haddock. Truly delicious! One of my fondest memories. 

The bowl at the pub was not that. In short, it was a big disappointment. Very thin broth, hardly any smoked fish flavor and a real shortage of potatoes and actual fish too. If you’ve been reading along here for a while, you know that meant I had to make Cullen skink to remind myself of the better first memory. 

Curious about the name? According to the interwebs: “Cullen Skink gets its name from the town of Cullen in Moray, Scotland, where it originated, and the Scots word "skink," which refers to a shin or knuckle of beef, and by extension, a thick soup. Originally a beef broth, it evolved into a smoked haddock soup in the late 19th century when fish became a more accessible, local, and affordable staple than meat for the town’s fishing community.”

Traditional Cullen Skink

Use naturally smoked haddock for this recipe, if possible. Unlike the artificially yellow dyed fish, the naturally smoked haddock has a subtle light beige color, derived solely from the wood smoke. This recipe is adapted from one on the BBC Good Food website, now just called Good Food. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients

7 oz or 200g smoked haddock

1 1/2 cups or 360ml milk

1 medium onion

14 oz or 400g new potatoes 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups or 295ml fish stock

Fine sea salt and white pepper

To garnish: finely chopped parsley or chives

Method

Put the haddock skin side down in a small pan and cover with the milk. 

Cook gently for 5 mins, or until just tender. Turn the haddock over and set the pan aside, leaving the haddock and milk to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the haddock from the milk with a slotted spoon (reserving the milk), transfer to a plate. 

When cool enough to handle safely, flake into large pieces, removing and discarding any bones and skin.

While the haddock cooks and cools, peel and chop the onion finely. 

Scrub the new potatoes. Halve or quarter big ones but leave small ones whole. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the chopped onion and sauté for 8-10 mins until translucent but not browned. 

Add the potatoes and fish stock and bring to the boil. 

Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 10-15 mins or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. 

Use a fork or a potato masher to mash half of the potatoes to help thicken the soup.

Whisk the cornstarch into the cooled haddock milk then add it to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens slightly.

Add the flaked haddock to the pan and cook until just heated through. 

Season to taste with the salt and white pepper. 

Spoon into warmed bowls and sprinkle over the chopped herbs to serve.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter C. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the C recipes below:

• Chai Spice Mix from Blogghetti
• Chicken Thigh Schnitzel + Chenin Blanc from Culinary Cam
• Chocolate Chip Crescent Roll Cookies from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Chora Nu Shaak, Gujarati Style from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Coconut Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Colorful Peppers Pulao from Sneha’s Recipe
• Corn Sauté with Pancetta, Potatoes, and Peppers from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cranberry Pistachio Pull-apart Rolls from A Messy Kitchen
• Dill Pickle & Mustard Seed Cream Cheese Spread from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Traditional Cullen Skink from Food Lust People Love
• White Chicken Chili from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

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