This is a British Classic and goes well with many types of meals, from roast dinners to simply a light meal. Done well, the taste is wonderful.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into large florets
  • 40g butter
  • 40g plain flour
  • 400ml milk
  • 1 tsp English mustard (optional)
  • 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated (or a similar strong hard cheese)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5.
  • Wash the cauliflower and place in a large saucepan of salted water. Boil and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but still fairly firm. Drain well.
  • To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium pan and stir in the flour. Cook over a gentle heat for one minute (making a Roux). Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring well (otherwise you’ll get lumps). Return the pan to a medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for two minutes, then remove from the heat. [tip: If it has too many lumps, pour the mixture into a small blender like a magic bullet and give it a quick whizz before returning it to the pan. Be careful as it will be hot.]
  • Stir in the mustard and two thirds of the cheese and set aside. Arrange the cauliflower in and ovenproof baking dish. Pour over the sauce so that  it completely covers the cauliflower. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and bubbling.

My Mom always finished cauliflower cheese under a hot grill for a few minutes so that the top was dark brown and crunchy.