@Annb First, I hope your procedure tomorrow goes well and that you have no delays and everyone is kind to you, as it makes such a difference.
Secondly, I agree that when cheese is cooked it seems to lose some of its flavour. We sometimes have (or used to have I should now say) macaroni cheese, and the mature cheddar I used seemed to lose its bite. We added some mustard and a little paprika, which seems to restore it. I'm not sure if that would work with your dish but it might be worth a try.
Your post about post-war eating resonated with me. My mother was born in 1928 and so was a child during the war, and experienced all its privations. She married in 1947 but it wasn't until the late 50s, early 60s that my brother and I came along. Of course, by that time rationing had ended and food was plentiful (although, as you know, the range of things available then was only a fraction of what we now have). I think that she didn't want my brother and me to miss out in the way that she and her sisters had, so we were never discouraged form eating.
When I was small I was given sixpence a day (in old money) to spend in the sweet shop. That was at a time when blackjacks or fruit salad were 4 for a penny. All this, combined with the fact that I was a studious and dreamy child, rather than an active one, meant that I put on weight. Although this was by no means the only factor, the seeds of my subsequent weight gain and, later, diagnosis of pre-diabetes were sown then I believe
