Chilli Cheese Cauliflower Soup With Cheese Crisps & Beans

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then boil a kettle

Peel and chop your brown onion[s] into wedges

Chop your leek[s] in half lengthways, wash thoroughly to remove any grit then top, tail and chop into large chunks

Crush your garlic open by squashing it with the side of a knife and discard the skins

Heat a large, wide-based pot (with a matching lid!) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat

Add the chopped leek and onion to the pan and cook for 4-5 min or until the leek has softened

Meanwhile, peel your potato[es] and chop into bite-sized pieces, then cut your cauliflower[s] into small florets

Slice half your green chilli[es] into 3 rounds per person, then deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) the remaining chilli and roughly chop

Once the leek has softened, add the crushed garlic and chopped potato with 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour

Give everything a good mix and cook for 1-2 min

Add the chopped cauliflower and chopped chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) with 600ml [800ml] [1L] boiled water and 100ml [150ml] [200ml] milk

Bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook, with the lid on, for 15 min or until the veg is softened – this is your soup base

Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper, then sprinkle a very thin layer of your grated Italian hard cheese onto the baking tray into rounds (3 per person!), reserving the remaining cheese for later

Top each round with a slice of chilli, then put the tray in the oven for 4-5 min or until the cheese is melted and golden – these are your cheese crisps

Add a small knob of butter with a generous drizzle of olive oil to a small heatproof bowl and put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 20-30 secs or until the butter is melted

Once the butter is melted, add your dried chilli flakes (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) and give a good mix up – this is your chilli butter

Grate your cheddar cheese finely

Once the soup base is ready, remove the pot from the heat add your vegetable stock mix and your umami seasoning with a pinch of salt and a generous pinch of pepper, then blitz with a (stick) blender until smooth

Once smooth, stir through the grated cheddar and remaining grated Italian cheese and season to taste, then set aside for 4-5 min for the flavours to develop – this is your chilli cheese cauliflower soup, then put your ciabatta[s] in the oven for 4 min or until they're hot and crusty