Cauliflower traces its ancestry to the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in ancient Asia Minor, which resembled kale or collards more than the vegetable that we now know it to be.

The cauliflower went through many transformations and reappeared in the Mediterranean region, where it has been an important vegetable in Turkey and Italy since at least 600 B.C.

It gained popularity in France in the mid-16th century and was subsequently cultivated in Northern Europe and the British Isles. The United States, France, Italy, India, and China are countries that produce significant amounts of cauliflower.

Cauliflower is an extremely nutritious vegetable. It is high both in Vitamin C and natural dietary fibre, as well as those phytochemicals which combat the damaging free radicals in our bodies and help prevent them from attacking cellular structure and leading to the formation of tumours and certain types of cancers.

It is normal when we are eating cauliflower to cook it first - but have you ever tried it raw? It is absolutely delicious! The next time you are breaking up a cauliflower head in to florets for such as steaming or boiling, try eating a piece in this fashion. It is crunchy, tasty and extremely nutritious.

If we are cooking cauliflower, however, as most of us will, it is vital that we do not overcook it. Doing so - in common with most foodstuffs - leads to the majority of the nutrients being lost to the cooking liquor. It also compromises the texture and flavour. This is probably the most common reason why children grow up refusing to eat the likes of cauliflower and broccoli.

Cauliflower is of course delicious served on its own as an accompaniment to a main meal but there are several excellent ways in which we can prepare it as one of the principal ingredients in a dish. One such way I love to do so is in the preparation of cauliflower and broccoli cheese.

Even though cauliflower and broccoli are from the same family and very similar to one another, they are not often cooked or eaten together. Try the preparation below and hopefully you will find it as enjoyable as I do. It may even serve as a means of getting your kids to eat these vegetables and boost their nutritional intake.

Take one head of cauliflower and one head of broccoli and split them in to florets. Put the cauliflower on to boil in some boiling salted water and add the broccoli about three minutes later (cauliflower takes slightly longer to cook.) Simmer for a further seven minutes and drain well.

While the vegetables are cooking, melt 2 oz of unsalted butter in a small, non-stick saucepan and add 2 oz of sieved plain flour. Stir well until a roux is formed and cook out for a few minutes. Add 4 to 6 fl oz of warm milk in stages (depending upon how thick you would like your sauce to be) until a lush sauce is formed. Add a handful of grated, low fat hard cheese and a tiny pinch of grated nutmeg. Stir well, then pour the sauce over the vegetables and serve.

This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese.