No wonder farmers have felt compelled to launch a cauliflower love-in recently – can any vegetable have a more old-fashioned image? If I were presented with a plate of plain cauliflower or plain broccoli, I know which one I’d choose, too.

But, of course, cauliflower can be far more than that. It is very versatile and works as a great vehicle for other flavours. The secret is to cook it rapidly, so it preserves its colour and doesn’t soak up too much water like a sponge. In the restaurant, we blanch it for 30 seconds and then finish it off in a frying pan to lightly caramelise it. Another trick, which I first saw at El Bulli, is to grate it to make “cauliflower couscous”. You use the fine side of a grater to create little flakes of vegetable, almost like snow, and steam them for literally 10 seconds. Mix it with breadcrumbs and garlic and it makes a brilliant topping for meat or fish.

You don’t have to do anything as fancy as that to see cauliflower in its best light, though. As I say, it takes other flavours well, such as Indian spices. It’s not a delicate or dainty vegetable, so it holds up well to the chilli heat. Similarly, underlining how robust it can be, it responds perfectly to the addition of mustard in the mimosa recipe, which makes a good vegetarian dish all on its own, especially with fresh parsley to give it some springtime colour.

And don’t forget about that old favourite, cauliflower cheese. Don’t let trays of the stuff sitting in their own water baths at school put you off – this one is definitely worth revisiting, especially with the kick you get from the horseradish, mustard and parmesan.

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