Streaky Bacon Cauliflower Cheese

Streaky Bacon Cauliflower Cheese is a very simply but extremely tasty dish. Cauliflower cheese is a classic warming dish – and it can be improved immeasurably with the addition of a crunchy topping of smoked streaky bacon from our outdoor-reared pigs.

Ingredients

50g finely grated parmesan cheese
50g ciabatta breadcrumbs
A cauliflower
250g our own smoked streaky bacon
25g butter
50g plain flour
250ml milk (full-fat)
250g chestnut mushrooms
A little English mustard powder
200g grated gruyère cheese
55ml double cream
Ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Step 1
Trim the cauliflower into florets and boil for around ten minutes.

Step 2
Begin the béchamel sauce by frying the smoked streaky bacon; stop before it becomes crispy and remove it but leave the fat that remains.

Step 3
Chop and fry the mushrooms for up to three minutes in the bacon fat then take the pan off the heat.

Step 4
Take a clean saucepan and melt in the butter and flour until a smooth sauce. Whisk in the milk little by little and add mustard powder, double cream and grated gruyère.
Also, add salt and pepper once the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick and creamy, then the pre-cooked streaky bacon and mushrooms.

Step 5
Heat oven to 180°C.

Step 6
Cauliflower now cooked, place it into a casserole dish, add the sauce and a small amount of ground nutmeg.

Step 7
Mix the ciabatta breadcrumbs and parmesan and dust onto the cauliflower mixture. Place in the oven until the mix is golden brown and bubbling.

Step 8
This cauliflower cheese, improved by just a few tasty additions, is best served with crusty bread and fresh salad.