Celery Soup

Ingredients

• 2 onions (weight 280g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 80g butter
• 1 plant of celery
• 2 medium potatoes (weight 320g) or 3 garden potatoes
• 800 mls chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• grated nutmeg

For garnish

• 4 rashers streaky bacon sliced and fried till crisp
• Leaves from the inner celery stalks chopped finely
• 8 teaspoons of double cream

Alternative

• Balsamic vinegard

Method

Gently fry onions and garlic in butter until soft. Separate stalks of celery so that you can save the inner leaves. Chop stalks finely and set aside inner leaves. Peel and chop potatoes and apples. Add celery, potatoes and apples to onions season generously with salt and pepper and fry gently with the lid on for about 15 minutes or until ingredients are very nearly cooked. Add the hot stock, bring to the boil and simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes more. Liquidize. Add lemon juice and nutmeg and adjust seasoning if necessary. To garnish each bowl first swirl in tsp of cream and sprinkle celery leaves and bacon on top.