Chestnut Cream Soup

with Crumbled, Goats Cheese

Don't worry about roasting and peeling chestnuts for this soup, they come ready cooked and peeled in a tin or vacuum packed and are available in most supermarkets.

Ingredients

450g chestnuts, roughly chopped

1 onion, finely sliced

25g butter

1 medium potato, chopped

3 sticks celery, chopped

1.4 litres ham stock, made with either a ham hough or stock cubes

Salt and freshly milled pepper

Pinch of brown sugar

2 tbsp medium sherry

Goats cheese to garnish

Flat leaf Parsley

All-in-one sauce made with 15g butter, 15g flour, 300ml milk

Place all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over a moderate heat, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened.

Method

Cook the sliced onion in the butter until softened. Add the potato, celery, chestnuts and the stock. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chestnuts are tender.

Pass the soup through a sieve add the sherry and brown sugar and blend in the sauce.

Season to taste with salt and freshly milled pepper and reheat gently if necessary.

Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle with a little crumbled goats cheese and a sprig of Parsley.