Keep out the winter chill with this utterly delicious soup: simple enough for every day, the cream, and a little garnish of fresh thyme or snipped chives, make it special enough for modest entertaining within your bubble or once restrictions lift. Obviously, there is cream in it, but not too much to make it over-rich.

It’s economical too, if you can get hold of one of those big bargain boxes of ‘wonky’ mushrooms you can find in the supermarkets now.

And it lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge becoming even more flavoursome and reheats beautifully!

Serves 4

• 1 medium large onion, cut in small dice
• 2½ tablespoons oil
• 1 plump garlic clove, finely chopped
• Around 650g mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• Freshly ground black and ground white pepper
• Generous pinch dried thyme
• 1 litre hot beef or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons medium sherry, optional
• Good grating of nutmeg
• 100-120ml double cream
• Fresh thyme or snipped chives for garnish, optional

Cook the onions slowly, over a low heat, in 2 tablespoons of the oil, adding the garlic towards the end.

In a lidded pan, cook the mushrooms in the remaining ½ tables spoon of oil, slowly so they half fry, half steam.

Once cooked, transfer the mushrooms to the food processor, tipping any juices into the onion pan. Add the pepper and thyme to the mushrooms and blitz in a food processor or blender.

Add the blitzed mushrooms to the onion pan and stir to combine. Stir in the hot stock slowly followed by the sherry and nutmeg. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, but don’t boil.

Stir in the cream, check for seasoning and heat until piping hot but not boiling. Garnish with a sprig or two of fresh thyme or snipped chives if you are feeling fancy.

Tip

When making any soup, remember the old adage: ‘a soup boiled is a soup spoiled!’