- 1 onion
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 baking potato
- 1 garlic clove
- 500ml full cream milk
- A handful of thyme, leaves only
- 100g Cheddar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 200ml boiling water
- Large pan with a lid
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring jug
- Blender
- 1.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Cut the leaves away from the cauliflower and finely chop them.
- 2.
Warm a large pan on a medium-low heat for 2 mins then pour in ½ tbsp oil. Add the onion and cauliflower leaves. Fry for 6 mins, stirring now and then, till softened and lightly coloured.
- 3.
While the veg cooks, peel and dice the potato. Chop the cauliflower into small florets. Peel and crush the garlic. Fill your kettle and boil it.
- 4.
Add the garlic to the pan with some salt and pepper. Cook for 1 min, stirring. Stir in the potato and cauliflower. Pour in the milk and 200ml boiling water. Drop in 1 thyme sprig. Cover, then simmer for 20 mins till the veg are soft.
- 5.
While the soup simmers, finely grate the cheddar. Pick the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs – if you push the sprigs through a mesh sieve, the leaves will collect in the bowl of the sieve.
- 6.
Remove the thyme sprig from the soup. Blend the soup in the pan with a hand-held blender, till it’s smooth and creamy, or ladle into a blender to blitz. You can adjust the thickness of the soup by adding a little more hot water if you prefer a thinner consistency. Stir in half the grated cheese and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.
- 7.
Ladle the soup in to warmed bowls. Scatter over the remaining cheddar, along with the thyme leaves and 1 tsp caraway seeds, to serve.
- Tip
Eat & Keep
The soup will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, or you can freeze it for a couple of months. Ladle into tubs, cool, then top with the extra cheese and the caraway seeds then chill or freeze. Defrost overnight and make sure it is piping hot all the way through when you reheat it.