Beef and Cheese Party Loaf

Methods/steps

In large bowl combine butter; mustard; allspice; nutmeg; pepper and thyme; mix until smooth. Add ground beef to butter mixture blending well. Slice plain and cheddar cheese into ? inch thick sticks. Turn bread topside down; cut off ends. Make a lengthwise cut down the center of the loaf from one end to the other; being careful not to cut through topside. Spread the bread apart carefully; hollow it out; leaving about ? inch thick shell. (The bread removed from the center can be dried and used for breadcrumbs). Press half the beef mixture into the bread. Arrange the plain cheese stick lengthwise in one row. Arrange the gherkins as the center row; the cheddar as the third row. Press the remaining beef mixture on top. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; then in foil. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. To serve; slice filled loaf thinly; arrange slices; overlapping; on serving tray.