Gratin of parsnips and Lancashire cheese

Serves 8

We don't generally tend to do too much with parsnips apart from roast them along with our Sunday joint. Making them into a purée or a soup is a pretty good idea, too, but Damian, our chef at the Rivington, has come up with this rather nice gratin idea, which I thought would be perfect with lamb.

2kg medium parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthways
600ml double cream
200g Lancashire cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 175C/gas mark 4.

Remove the centre core from the parsnips and lay them in an ovenproof serving dish. Bring the cream to the boil, season and pour over the parsnips then scatter over the cheese. Place the dish in a larger dish or roasting tray to act as a bain marie and pour boiling water into the larger dish so it comes about half way up. Carefully place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, maybe a bit longer until the parsnips are tender and lightly coloured. If you only have one oven then you may want to cook these in advance and return the dish to the oven without the Bain Marie while the lamb is resting.