Poached lobster tail with cauliflower and butter sauce

Place the tip of a very sharp chef's knife on the head just beneath its mouth, lining the blade up with the lobster’s midline with the blade side pointed toward its tail

The first cut should be directed forwards toward the head, and the second backwards down the midline towards the tail

Pierce the lobster’s head downward, then place the knife tip just to the body side of the junction of its tail and thorax and cut through the midline. The procedure must not take more than 10 seconds. For diagrams and more detailed information, visit the RSPCA’s website

Once the lobsters are dead, pull each head away from the tail and pull the claws off

In the meantime put a big pan of water on to blanch the lobsters and have a big bowl of ice water ready to submerge the lobsters into

In another pan sweat the onions, carrots, garlic, celery and leek in olive oil until soft. Add the tomato purée and cook a little longer. Put to one side

Place the tails into the boiling water for about 20-30 seconds until the shell starts to turn red and the tail turns up. Remove the lobster tail from the boiling water and plunge straight into iced water

Put the claws in the water and bring back to a simmer then leave them to cool in the liquid

Remove the tail meat from the shell and place in the fridge

Crush the lobster bones. Put the pan with the sweated vegetables back on the stove and heat up. Add the lobster shells and cook until the protein has started to set

Add a little brandy and reduce. Add just enough water to cover the bones and add the thyme. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tarragon and cook for 3 minutes

Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for a couple of minutes. Then pass through a fine sieve into a small pan, bring back to the boil and put to one side

Take the claws out of the water and remove the meat from the shell. Put to one side in a fridge. This meat can be used for a salad or to make this dish into a main course sized portion

For each portion of sauce take 100ml of lobster stock and add 10g of butter

Poach the lobster tails in the remaining stock, ensuring that you have enough stock to cover the tails. To poach the tails bring the stock up to the boil and drop in the lobster tails. Remove from the heat and leave to poach for 4 minutes

For the caramelised cauliflower, take one large cauliflower and section it up into florets. Cut the florets into 2-3mm thick slices

To serve, place the caramelised cauliflower in a round on the bottom of a plate. Place the purée in the centre with the poached lobster on top. Pour the butter sauce over this and serve immediately