Peel and coarsely chop the onion and parsnips.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook until it starts to soften.

Add the chopped parsnips to the pot with the onion.

Peel the garlic cloves, squash them flat, and add to the pan.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat with the lid on until the onion has colored lightly and the parsnips are mostly golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle flour into the pot and stir to combine.

Add the dried chile flakes and turmeric to the pot and cook for a minute or two to remove the raw taste of the flour.

Add the vegetable stock to the pot and stir to combine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Bring the soup to a boil, then decrease the heat to low and let it simmer gently until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.

Carefully pour the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Return the pureed soup to the pot.

Stir in the light cream and mustard.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Warm four soup bowls.

Drop the diced cheese into the warm soup bowls.

Ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Serve immediately.