Cauliflower Cheese is one of my absolute favourite meals, it is the ultimate comfort all in one dinner, lunch, sshhh even breakfast or makes the best side dish ever. I’m not sure why but a roast beef dinner is not the same without cauliflower cheese accompanying it, and of course it will always make it on to the table on Christmas day and then used as lovely leftovers with cold meats on Boxing day!

Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. If I am making a truly all in one meal I like to add bacon to it, and top off with slices of tomato.

I was invited to the BBC Good Food Show featuring the World Cheese Awards, with Barbers 1833, makers of vintage reserve cheddar. It was really interesting to learn about the cheese making process which Barbers do using a traditional starter culture (unlike many other cheese producers) and to have a sneaky peek at all 2500+ cheeses entered in the cheese awards.

Barbers asked me to come up with a dish using their 1833 vintage reserve cheddar, which incidentally is crumbly, rich with a strong flavour but not too strong for the children, and some local ingredients from my area of East Sussex.

Thus I decided to make my ultimate cauliflower cheese using a local Northiam double cream along with a locally grown cauliflower.

If using bacon use a good quality one for extra flavour and of course the onion can be substituted with leeks which are one of my favourite vegetables, but the children don’t like them!

Okay I don’t use a traditional method to make my cheese sauce because if there is an easier way then that’s the route I will take and I hate making a roux first, but…you must remember to be patient and take things very slowly when doing the first stage of the sauce otherwise you risk ending up with a lumpy sauce which is really really annoying!

The Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese Sauce Recipe

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The Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Large Cauliflower
• 200g Streaky Bacon chopped (optional)
• 80g Barbers 1833 Cheddar
• 1 Large Onion chopped
• 30g Butter
• 500ml in total of milk and double cream
• 2 Tbsp Cornflour
• 2 Tomatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC
2. Cut the cauliflower into florets and parboil in boiling water for approximately 7-10 minutes
3. Drain the cauliflower
4. While the cauliflower is cooking, dry fry the bacon until golden then remove from the pan
5. Gently cook the chopped onion in the bacon fat until translucent but ensure it doesn't get burnt and then take off the heat
6. Put the butter, cornflour and milk and cream mixture in a saucepan and heat very slowly, stirring all the time
7. When the mixture starts boiling leave to simmer for five minutes stirring every so often. The mixture will start to thicken up slightly.
8. Crumble or grate in two thirds of the cheese and stir until completely melted.
9. Season with black pepper.
10. Remove from the heat and add the onion and bacon to the cheese sauce.
11. I like to add the cauliflower to the sauce to ensure it is completely coated but you can also pour the sauce over the cauliflower (that you have placed in a baking dish).
12. If you haven't already put the cauliflower and sauce into a baking dish and grate over the remaining cheese.
13. Slice the tomatoes and place over the cauliflower.
14. Bake the cauliflower cheese in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and you have a golden brown finish to the dish.
15. Serve straight away with green vegetables or salad, or chunks of bread.
16. To prepare in advance, leave placing in the oven until ready to eat and bake for about 45 minutes until the cauliflower cheese is bubbling and warmed through.

3.2.2885

Thank you to Barbers for the invitation to the BBC Good Food Show and for the huge wedge of Barbers 1833 that I used to create this recipe.