Cauliflower is extremely tasty if treated well, which for the most part means not overcooking the poor thing.

This will also ensure that it retains not only its flavour but its rich supply of B vitamins and Vitamins C and K.

The olives and dried tomatoes give it a bit of extra bite.

Ingredients
- Cauliflower, weighing about a pound or half a kilo, chopped into florets, steamed for 8 minutes or boiled for 10 minutes
- 330g/12 ozs cooked long-grain rice (white or brown, as preferred)
- 110g/4 ozs hard cheese, such as Cheddar, grated
- 110g/4 ozs stoned black olives
- 30g/1 oz dried tomatoes, soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water
- 55g/2 ozs butter or margarine
- 200ml/7 fl, ozs warmed milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- Tbsp. plain white flour
- Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

What to do
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Mark 6. Put the cooked cauliflower, half the butter, the olives, tomatoes and parsley in a bowl mix well.

Melt the rest of the butter in a heavy pan and carefully stir in the flour.

Now gradually add the warm milk, stirring all the time to avoid lumps.

Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and add the egg and cheese.

Add pepper and salt to taste, remembering the fact that the cheese and olives are already salty.

Add the rice to the cauliflower mixture.

Grease a casserole with a little butter or margarine and put the rice-cauliflower combination into it, the- pour over the cheesy sauce.

Bake for 15 minutes, then check to see if the top has gone a nice golden brown.

If it hasn’t, give it another 5 minutes.