Cauliflower soup with bacon and cob nuts

Serves 4-6

Spoon the soup into warmed soup bowls and scatter the bacon and cobnuts on top (JASON LOWE)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 leek, white part only, roughly chopped
2-3 good knobs of butter
1 small- to medium-sized cauliflower, roughly chopped, with the dark outer leaves cut off
750ml vegetable stock (a good cube will do)
500ml milk
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2tbsp grated hard cheese such as cheddar
6 rashers of rindless streaky bacon, finely chopped
12-16 cob nuts, shelled and chopped

Melt the butter in a pan and with the lid on gently cook the onion and leek, without colouring, for 4-5 minutes, until they are soft.

Add the cauliflower, stock and milk. Season, bring to the boil and simmer for 35 minutes, with a lid on, or until the cauliflower is soft. Blend in a liquidiser with 3 tablespoons of the cheese until smooth and strain through a fine-meshed sieve and season again if necessary. You can add a little more cheese for added savouriness if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy-based frying pan and cook the bacon on a medium heat for a minute or so, then add the cob nuts and cook for another couple of minutes until crisp. Transfer to some kitchen paper.

To serve, spoon the soup into warmed soup bowls and scatter the bacon and cobnuts on top.