Blue cheese from a gift hamper could be perfect for accompanying cauliflower soup.

Writing for the Daily Telegraph, Diana Henry noted most forms of cheese work with the vegetable, particularly blue varieties.

She proposed a recipe for cauliflower soup that includes onion, celery and nutmeg, while double cream is an optional extra ingredient for those who are not worried about calories.

The blue cheese is incorporated in the shape of toasts, with slices of baguette being heated in an oven before the dairy product is crumbled over the top and then melted under the grill.

Alternatively, Ms Henry suggested the cheese could be crumbled directly into the soup for added flavour.

Meanwhile, expert Andrew Steiner has told LA Weekly consumers should be aware cheeses have seasons, with soft varieties generally being best in June because they are made from milk likely to have been produced when animals were fed on the best grass.