Stuck in a rut on what to have for lunch? Now the days are colder, Dame Mary Berry has shared the perfect warming cauliflower cheese soup. Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes, and will feed you throughout the week.

‘It’s simple, satisfying and just the thing for an easy lunch,’ says Mary.

The cauliflower cheese soup recipe uses one main vegetable, cauliflower, and other ingredients you’re likely to have in your cupboard such as onion, butter, flour and a stock cube.

The best news of all? The hug-in-a-bowl dish takes just 15 minutes to pull together, and will feed you throughout the week. Making soup from scratch is the perfect way to enjoy more vegetables and is better than relying on processed pre-made options. Mary’s recipe is comforting, creamy and delicious while remaining relatively low-carb and high in nutrients.

Registered nutritionist and recipe development manager at Green Chef, Lily Keeling, says the recipe provides a great combination of nutrients from different ingredients.

‘You’re getting a good amount of fibre and vitamin C from the cauliflower, and the cheddar gives you some protein and calcium,’ she explains.

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If you fancy, you can garnish the soup with chives. ‘Chives are a really good source of vitamin K, too, which is important for bone health and helps the body with blood clotting.’

Although the butter, cream and cheese add some saturated fat, they’re a good source of protein and calcium, says Lily. “Plus, the fat helps your body absorb the vitamin K," she adds.

As for tweaks to make the recipe even more nutritious?

‘I’d be tempted to add a tin of cannellini beans to this also. They’re lovely in soups because they blend down really smoothly and have a mild enough flavour. You’d get some extra fibre, plant protein, folate and iron in there without having to change the recipe very much,’ Lily suggests.

Nutritionist Devan Herring from Devanitely Nourished says to keep the fat content (butter, cream and cheese) since it helps you feel fuller for longer. If you want to make the dish even more balanced, you could add protein. Devan says you can do this by swapping the vegetable broth for bone broth, or by adding some beans.

‘Additionally; you could toss in some beans (which would increase fibre, too!) or simply pair it with turkey or salmon on the side!’ she adds.

How to make Mary Berry’s cauliflower cheese soup

First up, she says, cut one large cauliflower into four pieces and remove the florets (but save them to add in later). Cut the remaining chunks into rough pieces.

Next, add 30g of butter to a large pan, then add a roughly chopped onion and cook it until it’s tender. Mix in 25g of flour and gradually add one litre of hot vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then add the chopped cauliflower.

Turn the heat down and leave the soup to simmer for 10 minutes, until tender. Take the pot off the heat, then use a hand blender to blitz everything until smooth. Season and add 100ml of double cream so it’s lovely and rich, then add 50g of cheddar cheese ‘to bring together the gorgeous flavour’.