Sausage & Cauliflower Bread & Butter Bake

Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into bite-sized pieces. Use scissors or a sharp knife to slice the sausages into bite-size coins. Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the bay leaves, thyme, fennel seeds, ¼ of the garlic cloves and a big pinch of salt.

Add the cauliflower and boil in the water for about 5 mins or until soft and cooked through. Drain and reserve the cauliflower cooking water to make the sauce.

Melt the butter in a medium pan over moderate heat. Add the flour and beat to combine, stirring for a couple of minutes until the mixture foams and bubbles in the pan.

Gradually whisk in 500ml of the hot cauliflower water (this is if you’re cooking for 4 people; increase or decrease if making for a different number) and whisk vigorously to ensure no lumps form. Turn down the heat and cook the sauce for about 10 mins, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened. It should be viscous and the consistency of double cream.

Add the double cream, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and check for seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, in a large frying, cook the sausage slices in a generous glug of olive oil for 3 mins until browning in places.

Finely chop the remaining garlic and add to the pan, then continue to cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the chopped-up bread and give the pan a good stir to combine over a low heat for another 2 mins. Take off the heat, add the cooked cauliflower and give the pan another thorough mix. Transfer everything to a buttered baking dish.

Pour the sauce over the sausages, bread and cauliflower in the dish and finely grate the Parmesan over the top.

Cook in a preheated oven for 35–40 mins until bubbling and some pieces of the bread on the top have turned crisp and golden brown. Grate over some extra Parmesan and serve with more Dijon mustard, if you like.