Celery Soup

Preparation

• 1
  1. First prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion finely. Trim and chop the leek finely and rinse well. Peel and chop the potato into small dice. Remove the stringy tough outer part of the celery using a vegetable peeler
• 2
  this is a bit fiddly, but it avoids getting any fibres in the finished soup. Slice the celery finely.
• 3
  2. Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the chopped onion over a low heat for 5 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the leek and the potato and continue to cook gently for a further 5 minutes, stirring to prevent the potato from sticking. Add the celery and the crushed garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
• 4
  3. Pour in the hot chicken stock and stir in the milk, add the nutmeg and season with salt and black pepper. Chop a handful of fresh parsley and stir it in. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the celery is soft and tender.
• 5
  4. Turn off the heat and use a hand blender to blend the soup until it is completely smooth. Check the seasoning. Stir in 125 ml of single cream and reheat gently.
• 6
  Serve garnished with a little chopped parsley and some crumbly blue cheese sprinkled on the top.