Mushroom soup

• By Mark Camilleri

For 6 people, you will need:

500g of fresh mushrooms, 110g of butter, two potatoes (peeled and diced), one onion and a half (peeled and thinly sliced) 120g of Stilton cheese, 190ml of sherry, 1.35 litres of chicken stock (see recipe for chicken broth shown here).

Melt 40g of the butter over a medium heat and add the onion, cooking it until it is soft. Add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture ‘sweat’ over a low heat for about eight minutes, taking care that nothing burns. Add the potatoes and the chicken stock. Bring the soup to the boil but immediately reduce the heat and leave it to simmer for 45 minutes. Blend the soup, using a hand-held blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper, stir in the sherry, heat the soup again, and serve it immediately, garnished with small pieces of Stilton.