Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C

In a pan of boiling salted water, add the cauliflower florets and bring back to the boil. Cook the florets for about 5 minutes, drain in a colander and then cover in cold water to stop them cooking further

Now is time to make the unctuous cheese sauce. I’ve stated that the pancetta is optional and if you don’t want to use it then don’t worry; the sauce is still darned good

In a saucepan, add the butter and start to melt. If using the pancetta; add this into the pan and begin to brown off for a few minutes. If not using pancetta you may want a tad more butter; it’s now time to add the onions to the pan (with or without the pancetta) and start to soften. This will take about 5 minutes

Add in the garlic and cook for a further few minutes over a low heat. Then add the mustard, mix together and cook for another minute

Now add the flour and bring the mixture together and cook for a few minutes

Gradually pour in the milk and keep stirring as to remove lumps. The sauce should be looser/thinner than a standard white sauce. If you need more milk as it's too thick then gradually add some extra

Remove the sauce pan from the heat and add the grated Cheddar cheese. Stir until the sauce is smooth and thickened

Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the cauliflower and cheese sauce. Add the cauliflower and then pour over the cheese sauce to cover. Give the cauliflower and sauce a quick stir to make sure it's all incorporated

At this point you can keep the dish in the fridge until you’re ready later on in the day

To serve, heat the oven to 180C and cook the dish for 30 minutes