Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I checked out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook from the library and found this soup recipe. Hoping that it would rival Zupas, I gave it a try tonight. Yum!

Ingredients
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 medium onions
2 garlic cloves
8 cups cauliflower (this ended up being a whole head)
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated (the sharper the better for this recipe)
7 3/4 cups chicken stock
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions
Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Slice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel and slice the garlic. Cut the cauliflower into 1 inch slices.

Put a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat and add 2 Tb olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil separately, then pour over the vegetables. Give it a good stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.

Remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper and add the cheese and mustard. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a regular blender, pulse the soup until silky smooth. If you want to dress it up a bit, top it with some lightly fried crispy bacon.