Cauliflower cheese

Ingredients

• 1cauliflower, large, broken into florets
• 1 3/4 ozunsalted butter
• 1 3/4 ozall-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cupswhole milk, warmed
• 7 ozmature Cheddar cheese, a variety labelled suitable for vegetarians, grated
• 1 tspEnglish mustard
• 1/4 tspground nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 1/2 tspsea salt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper

Method

1. 1

   Boil the florets in well-salted water until a knife meets a little resistance at the stem — noticeably firmer than you would want to eat. Drain them very well and let them steam dry.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, and cook it for a minute or two until it smells biscuity rather than raw.

3. 3

   Add the warmed milk gradually, whisking after each addition until smooth, and simmer gently until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with the mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

4. 4

   Take the pan off the heat and stir in about three quarters of the grated Cheddar until it has melted smoothly into the sauce.

5. 5

   Heat the oven to 400°F. Sit the drained cauliflower in a baking dish, pour the sauce over so every floret is covered, scatter the remaining cheese on top, and bake until bubbling and browned in patches.