Farmhouse Kitchen-Cauliflower and Cheddar Cheese Soup

As November hurls full throttle into December and Autumn becomes winter, life on the farm slows down. Not least because it is so cold here and using too much energy outside is such an effort.

All weather is magnified here-especially wind. It is a result of being so open on the farm with no buildings to soften the flow.

Farm jobs still have to be done though so there needs to be a constant supply of warm, hearty food on the menu to warm the cockles of anyone coming through the door.

There is one thing in common for everyone whose winter boots cross our threshold-they all remark on how cold it is.

A soup, bubbling away on the stove is the perfect lunch or snack at any time of the day and, with a little hint of chilli, it is sure to put a kick into your winter ravaged body.

Cauliflower is really on-trend at the moment with the clean eating, low-carb crew so it was the perfect choice on the farm because it is so filling.

Cauliflower and Cheddar Cheese Soup.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded but kept whole
1 stock cube. I used vegetable but chicken would work just as well
1 litre of boiling water
1 bay leaf
50 grams of very strong cheddar cheese. I used Barbers Crunch Mature Cheddar

Method:

Chop the onions and garlic and fry for 5 minutes in a little butter or oil of your choice but do not let them brown.

Add the cauliflower, whole chilli and pour over the stock.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Remove the chilli and the bay leaf.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave off the 50 grams of cheese and add it to the hot soup to melt.

Allow to cook slightly then put in a blender.

Serve immediately.

I love my blender. It gives such a smooth texture to soups-much more so than a hand blender.

While chunky soup is lovely, it is blender recipes, which can be eaten the quickest-perfect for a hurried snack on the go. Don’t forget to have a pan of soup ready for anyone coming in from the cold.

This soup is so delicious, it would make a beautiful starter for Christmas Day.

*This is a collaborative post