Move Over Broccoli, the Cauliflower Revival is on Its Way

I've always been a bit skeptical about cauliflower, having had not very nice cauliflower cheese at school - overcooked mushiness with a bit of water seeping out. I've also had frustration trying to grow it myself (it's very susceptible to slugs and once those lovely curdy firm bits start looking nibbled, it's not the veg it should be). But I've always known that there was more to be had from cauliflower.

Possibly one of the problems for it has been the rise of green broccoli. Plain, boiled and buttered, served a little al dente, maybe broccoli has the edge. But cauliflower has a more complex flavor. I really like it raw. You can slice it very thinly on a mandolin and dress it with a mustardy vinaigrette with a scattering of lentils on top. A kind of cauli carpaccio.

Tim Maddams, my chef at the River Cottage, is a huge cauliflower fan. Last year he came up with some fantastic recipes. Cheese cauliflower is the opposite of cauliflower cheese. Here, the cauliflower is cooked in milk with bayleaf and nutmeg, then pureed in the milk, so you get a creamy cauliflower. A piece of cheese - brie, say - is deep fried in breadcrumbs, then dipped into the hot cauliflower puree. Even cauliflower cheese is good if cooked well: lightly cook the cauliflower so it's still got some bite; let it steam off and drain it really well. While it's still very hot, smother it in a really good, hot, cheesy bechamel and then flash it quickly under the grill till a few black bubbles show. Finally, one of the most memorable things I had in the whole of last year was a cauliflower and truffle soup at Northcote Manor in Lancashire, which was absolutely delicious.

I am now fully converted to cauliflower. The thing about it is that it stands up to a lot of adventure. Boiled and stuck on the side of the plate it possibly doesn't enthuse. But try any of these ideas and it really will.It does need to be fresh and firm with close, dense, hard flowery bits.

I think these things come in waves. Beetroot used to be every-one's least favorite vegetable, now it's incredibly trendy. Cauliflower is similarly love-hate. When chefs start to think everyone's at the beetroot game, cauliflower would be a good one for them to show how clever they are. It could be the next big vegetable.