Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Pull one clove of garlic from the bulb and set aside. Wrap the bulb in foil and pop it in the oven to roast for about 40 mins. Scrub the beetroot and coarsely grate into a bowl. Peel and finely chop the onion.

Crumble the stock cube into a measuring jug. Top up with 750ml boiling water. Stir to dissolve the stock cube.

Warm 1 tbsp oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for 5 mins till the onion is soft and glossy. Stir often. Peel and crush the reserved garlic clove.

Stir the beetroot, crushed garlic and risotto rice into the onion. Pour in the vegetable stock. Add the thyme leaves. Stir everything together. Bring to the boil, then ladle the risotto into a casserole or ovenproof dish.

Pop a lid on the casserole dish or cover it tightly with foil. Bake for 30 mins till the rice is soft. Remove the lid or foil and cook for another 5-10 mins till the risotto has dried out a little. While the risotto cooks, finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.

The roasted garlic bulb should be softened. Squeeze half the flesh from the skins using the back of a knife. Stir it through the crème fraîche with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and plenty of salt and pepper. Add more garlic to taste.

Tip the salad into a bowl. Whisk 1 tbsp of the red wine vinegar with 1 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Drizzle over the salad. Toss to mix.

Taste the risotto and adjust the seasoning. Swirl half the roasted garlic and mustard cream through with some of the flat leaf parsley. Top with the remaining garlicky cream and a garnish of parsley. Serve with the salad on the side.

GETTING CLOVE-R Wrap the remaining garlic in foil and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Spread a roasted garlic clove or two onto hot toast, stir into soups, stews or risottos. Incidentally, chewing parsley helps to freshen breath.