Smoked Cheese & Onion Straws

Smoked Cheese & Onion Straws – Made with excess Festive ingredients, such as puff pastry and smoked cheese from the cheese board, these are posh enough for cocktail nibbles as well as being perfect for the school lunch box, and, these tasty little smoked cheese numbers are easy to make and are loved by all the family.

Posh enough for cocktail nibbles and perfect for the school lunch box, these tasty little smoked cheese numbers are easy to make and are loved by all the family.

And, these delicious pastry strips of cheesiness and flakiness, have only THREE ingredients in them.

They are made in a trice, and helped me out with my excess puff pastry, smoked cheese and a large bunch of spring onions. One of three bunches actually.

This recipe is not a diet recipe, as most are in the post festive season, but it’s a cheeky cheese recipe. It is just as comfortable sitting in crystal serving jar on a festive buffet table, as it is being made for the school lunch box.  

Excess Festive Ingredients

It is usual as we head deep into the new year that it seems unbelievable that only a few weeks ago it was Christmas. With this in mind, I often have bit of a rummage in the pantry, as well as the freezer and the fridge. Each time it seems that I over catered and over bought again.

I usually seem to have a surfeit of ready-rolled puff pastry. Bought for enormous amounts of mince pies, obviously. As well as lots of bits and pieces of cheese, which is never a bad thing in my book.

It’s all very well hanging on with a hoarders mentality, but there is an urge at this time of year, as mornings get brighter earlier and spring bulbs poke their vibrant green shoots above ground, to spring clean. And that means using excess ingredients from the pantry, especially those that have a limited shelf life.

Smoked Cheese

These straws are based on a recipe I created and developed for Applewood Cheese, the home of smoked Cheddar cheese in Somerset.

I am a huge fan of smoked cheeses, it must be left over from my days in Germany, where smoked cheese is prevalent, and always seemed to be on the breakfast table.

Variations of Smoked Cheese & Onion Straws

These cheese and onion straws can be made with non-smoked cheese, of course, for those of you who are not a fan of smoked cheese. I suggest a good vintage farmhouse Cheddar cheese, for depth of flavour and taste.

If you don’t have any spring onions to hand, then chives or even some finely diced red onion would be lovely in this recipe.

One final taste idea hack, my daughter who is a Marmite lover, as I am too, sometimes spreads Marmite over the pastry before she cuts and twists them……and, if you are a Marmite lover, then you will absolutely fall head over heels in love with that variation.

There’s one very important proviso however, and to coin an old British advertising slogan, “Don’t cheat on the cheese!”

How to Freeze Cheese Straws

Oh yes….I almost forgot to say, that once baked, these freeze well too.

Just pop them into a covered freezer container, with some baking paper/greaseproof paper in between the layers. Take them out three to four hours before you want them.

To defrost; they can be heated up to serve in a moderately warm oven, about 150C for about 10 minutes to crisp them up.

I hope you enjoy my recipe idea, simple as it is, if you make these Smoked Cheese and Onion Straws, do let me know how they went down. 

The full recipe is shared below, along with some of my other cheese recipes. Karen 

More Cheesy Recipes:

Remember: Don’t cheat on the cheese!

Welsh Rarebit Cheese Spread

Parsnip, Potato & Sprouts Cheese Gratin

Cheese, Sweetcorn and Spring Onion Muffins

Beer and Cheese Bread in a Crock

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Even More Cheese Recipes:

Because lets be honest, you can never have enough go-to cheese based recipes.

French Cheese and English Honey…….

Twice Baked Cheese & Chive Breakfast Soufflés

Heirloom Tomato, Cheese & Herb Galette

Hasselback Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

Smoked Cheese & Onion Straws

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Serves	14 to 16 cheese starws
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	12 minutes
Total time	22 minutes
Allergy	Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

Posh enough for cocktail nibbles and perfect for the school lunch box, these tasty little smoked cheese numbers are easy to make and are loved by all the family!

Ingredients

• 350g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
• 150g Smoked Cheese, grated (or cheese of your choice)
• 4 to 6 spring onions, snipped into small pieces

Note

Posh enough for cocktail nibbles and perfect for the school lunch box, these tasty little smoked cheese numbers are easy to make and are loved by all the family!

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 220C/450F/Gas mark 7 and line two large baking trays.
Step 2	Unroll the puff pastry and scatter the grated cheese and spring onions over; then fold the pastry in half and lightly roll out with a floured rolling pin.
Step 3	Cut the cheese and onion filled pastry into “straws” of about 2” (5cms) in length and twist the strips several times.
Step 4	Place them on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.
Step 5	Leave to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Suitable for freezing.