One of my first ever cooking classes at school was learning how to make an apple crumble.  The first week we made the crumble, the second week we made the filling and finally, in the third week, we put it altogether.  No wonder I hated cooking if I thought it took three weeks to make an apple crumble!  Well, luckily times have changed and I thought I’d take a little trip down crumble memory lane, here is my savoury roasted vegetable crumble, which I promise will not take three weeks to make!

Loads of seasonal roasted veggies, covered in a rich cheese sauce and topped with a crunchy parmesan topping.  This is a great lunch or could also be a side dish, in the same way you would have cauliflower cheese.

The cheese sauce in this dish is silky smooth, rather than having a floury base, I have used a stock base meaning it is less stodgy than usual.  I came across this when cooking Heston’s Mac & Cheese which you should definitely make! It’s such a nicer way of making a sauce with zero chance that it will turn out lumpy!

Serves 6-8 as a lunch

For the veg filling

• 50ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs
• salt & pepper
• 1 gem squash (butternut squash would also work)
• 2 carrots
• 2 onions
• 1 aubergine
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 leek
• 1 courgette
• 4 portobello mushrooms
• 5 garlic cloves
• 100g soft blue cheese

For the crumble

• 180g plain flour
• 90g softened butter (cubed)
• 60g grated parmasan

For the cheese sauce

• 500ml vegetable stock
• 160g strong cheddar
• 2 tbsp cornflour

Pre-heat the oven to 220º.

In a large bowl, pour in the oil and add the herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Chop up the veg into large chunks and peel the garlic cloves.  Put all of the veg, along with the garlic into the oil and herbs and mix well so that all of the veg is coated. Spread out on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, until the edges of the veg are browning.

While you are waiting for the veg, you can make the crumble.  Put all the ingredients in to a large bowl and rub the butter in with your hands.  After about 10 minutes you should have a breadcrumb like consistency. Leave to one side.

Once the veg is done, take out of the oven and transfer into a large oven proof dish and leave to one side.

Turn the oven down to 180º.

Finely grate the cheddar, then add the flour to it.  Mix well with your hands so that the strands of cheese are covered.  Over a medium flame, heat the stock, once warm add a handful of grated cheese and stir until it has dissolved, continue until you have used all of the cheese and you have a shiny sauce.

Pour the sauce over the vegetables and then top with the crumble.  Sprinkle over a little black pepper and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.  Finish off in the grill to brown the top for a couple of minutes before serving.

There you have it, a roasted vegetable crumble that won’t take you three days to make!