Cauliflower and Roast Chestnut Soup

Chop and boil the cauliflower in a pan until very soft (this should take around 15-20 minutes). Drain and leave on the side to cool slightly.

Put a large frying pan over the heat and roast your fresh chestnuts on a low heat until they crack so you can open them. Be sure to place a lid or some foil over the pan so you don't end up with chestnuts all over the house!

Once all your chestnuts have cracked, take them all out and leave to cool slightly. Then, carefully, peel/crack the shells off them all. It doesn't matter if you end up breaking the nut, but it is nice to have some whole nuts to use as croutons at the end.

Place around 3/4 of your nuts into the pan with the cauliflower. Save 1/4 of the batch of nuts so you can decorate and use as croutons.

Use a stick hand blender to blend together the cauliflower and nuts into a thick paste. It should be really smooth once done.

Add in 150ml of cream (cool) and blend again. The mixture should be more of a paste than a soup at this stage.

Boil a kettle full of water. Place your paste in the pan on the heat and gently start to warm. Slowly add your boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon until the thickness is as you desire. It's completely up to you how much you put it, and if you find you've added too much water, just leave it on the heat for the excess water to evaporate. Add salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with a little fresh parmesan if you like too.

Pour your soup into a bowl and top with a few of your roasted chestnuts! Enjoy!