Edwin Pottle - The Writing Drone: Autumn

I'm having some days off this week, so I've had lunch out on a few occasions, mainly in North Wales, but also in Shropshire - possibly two of the last of the culinary wastelands in the UK.

Everywhere, that is to say upmarket hotels and pubs alike seems to be serving either parsnip or pumpkin soup. Usually uninspiring, over-thickened, probably with corn flour and lacking any sort of imagination. I'm told it's seasonal and even worse, that it's what people want at this time of year.

Well, here's my answer. Seasonal, comforting and moreish, if there is such an adjective. Celery and chestnut soup.

Here's the recipe. I hope that you enjoy it.

Celery and Chestnut Soup

Preparation Time: about one and a half hours, but some of that is waiting about so you can do other things.

Ingredients
2 Celery hearts, chopped
1 Large onion, chopped
4 Small potatoes, peeled and diced
10 Chestnuts, cooked and peeled*
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Bay leaf
1 Litre of chicken stock
Salt and pepper for seasoning
30 g Butter
1 Tsps Ground turmeric
40 ml Crème fraîche
Grated nutmeg

* (I use Clement Faugier brand, in lovely corrugated tins

Directions
Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan that has a lid.
Add the celery, onion, potato and garlic. Cook over a low heat until the onion becomes soft and starts to become translucent. Be careful at this stage not to let the vegetables burn.
Add the chestnuts, bay leaf and seasoning.
Add the chicken stock and increase the heat until the liquid just starts to boil. Then lower the hear so that the mixture simmers. Stir every 10 minutes or so, to avoid any burning at the base.
After about one hour, remove the pan from the heat, fish out the bay leaf, then blend the pan contents with a hand-held blender.
Add the crème fraîche and mix it in.
Serve hot, with some grated nutmeg on the surface and a little swirl of additional crème fraîche, if you're trying to impress.

It goes well with some wholemeal bread, with added raisins and figs, topped with a slice or two of Reblochon. Or if you prefer a British cheese, then Shropshire Blue goes well with it.