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1
Pour the milk into a saucepan and drop in the bay leaf.
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2
Peel the onion, spike it with the cloves, and add to the pan.
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3
Bring to a boil.
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4
As soon as the milk starts to rise in the pan, turn it off and let sit for ten minutes to allow the bay and cloves to work their subtle magic.
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5
Set the oven at 425F (220C).
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6
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir in the flour, and let the mixture cook, stirring regularly, until it is golden and smells warm and nutty.
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7
Pour in the warm milk (leaving behind the onion while taking the bay leaf with you) and let it come almost to a boil.
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8
Stir as it thickens, seasoning with salt and pepper, and resorting to a whisk if you need to beat out any lumps.
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9
It is less trouble than a spoon.
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10
Turn down the heat and let the sauce simmer peacefully for a good fifteen to twenty minutes.
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11
Stir in the cream and the grated Cheddar, then correct the seasoning with more salt and pepper.
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12
Break the cauliflower into large florets.
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13
Bring a pan of water to a boil, salt it lightly, then drop in the florets.
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14
Leave at a merry boil for three or four minutes, until they can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.
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15
Drain them carefully so they dont break up, then put them in an ovenproof dish.
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16
Pour over the cheese sauce, fishing the bay leaf out or not as you wish, then scatter the surface with the grated Spenwood or Parmesan.
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17
Bake for twenty minutes or so, until the sauce has formed a patchily golden crust and is bubbling languidly around the edge.
