Sunday roasts come with many complements, and a much-loved, comforting side is the humble cauliflower cheese. Chef and viral 'Potato Queen' Poppy O'Toole recently shared how you can perfect this side dish without leaving it watery and tasteless.

In a recent TikTok video, the chef claimed that no roast dinner is complete without cauliflower cheese. However, cauliflower can be a very precarious vegetable to cook correctly. Poppy had some sage advice for home cooks when it comes to making cauliflower cheese.

If there's one thing you should avoid, it's overcooking it.

She said: "Don't boil your cauliflower before you make a cauliflower cheese. It's an extra step that does not need to be done, and it makes it soft and watery and wet."

Instead, Poppy prefers to top the cauliflower with a Mornay sauce and all the liquid to help steam and roast the vegetable. Make sure you top the Mornay sauce with plenty of cheese.

To give her cauliflower a wonderfully crispy finish, Poppy opts for using the air fryer rather than an oven. Not only will this help the crispy top, but it will also save room in the oven for the rest of the roast's components.

Poppy continued: "Mm, perfect. Cheesy, crunchy on top, smooth, velvety Mornay sauce, and the cauliflower is cooked to perfection."

Poppy's video has been viewed over 762,500 times, receiving 25,000 likes and 553 comments, at the time of writing. Keiron suggested in the comments section: "ROAST YOUR CAULIFLOWER BEFORE HAND GAME CHANGER!!!"

Ross agreed: "I roast mine, short time but really high. Gives it's an extra nutty flavour."

Elizabeth suggested: "You forgot a teaspoon of marmite!!!! You're welcome."

However, Drew disagreed with the chef's tip, saying: "I know everyone has an opinion, but you're wrong, cauliflower needs to be at least partially cooked. Nothin worse than crunchy cauliflower cheese. I steam my cauliflower first."

Here's how you can recreate Poppy's cauliflower cheese at home for your next Sunday roast.

Ingredients

• 50g salted butter


• 50g plain flour


• 500ml milk


• 50g cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for the top


• 30g double Gloucester, grated, plus extra for the top


• One tbsp wholegrain mustard


• One medium cauliflower, broken into florets, leaves roughly chopped

Method

Place a small saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Then, using a spatula or wooden spoon, gradually beat in the flour, about a tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick paste.

You don't want the paste to start browning - if you're worried just take the pan off the heat to slow things down a little as you add.

Once all the flour is in, cook, stirring, until you have a dough-like consistency and the paste is coming away from the sides of the pan.

Little by little, add the milk, making sure you allow the first addition to fully incorporate into the paste before adding more. Keep mixing to avoid lumps - switch to a whisk if you need to.

Season generously with salt and pepper, then tip in the wholegrain mustard and cheeses. Whisk until well combined.

Find a baking dish that fits into the basket of your air fryer. Squeeze in all of the florets and the leaves into the dish and smother with the sauce.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and pop into the airfryer for 20-30 minutes at 170/340, before finishing it off with 10 minutes at 190/370.