Broccoli and cheese soup

Broccoli and cheese soup is classic British cooking, and especially good for using up any leftover cheese from Christmas.

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz butter
• 100g/3½oz potato, peeled and diced
• 400g/14oz broccoli, stalk chopped, florets cut into 2cm/¾in pieces
• 1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable stock (or light chicken stock)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
• 150g/5½oz mature cheddar, grated

To serve (optional)

• 100g/3½oz crumbly blue cheese (such as Stilton)
• sourdough croûtons

Method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Gently fry the onion, leek and garlic, stirring from time to time to make sure they cook evenly, for about 10 minutes or until the onion and garlic have softened.

2. Add the potato and broccoli stalk to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the stock and bay leaf. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, half cover the pan with a lid and bring to a very gentle simmer. Continue to simmer the soup for about 20 minutes until the potato and broccoli stalks are tender.

3. Remove the bay leaf and add the remaining chopped broccoli and milk to the pan. Stir well and continue to cook for another 3–5 minutes until the broccoli is tender. This timing will depend on the size of your broccoli pieces – be careful not to overcook the broccoli, it should still retain its vibrant green colour. Add the cheddar, stir to combine and then blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender.

4. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed, before spooning into bowls and topping with crisp croûtons and crumbled blue cheese.

Broccoli and cheese soup