Homemade soup is inexpensive to make and so much nicer than many bought ones. This celery soup with blue cheese uses potato as the thickener, not flour, making it suitable for those who follow a gluten-free and wheat-free diet. This recipe can be used as the base for many other soups by simply replacing the celery with other vegetables such as leeks, spinach, carrot and parsnips or a mixture of several. Blue cheese gives the soup extra flavour and is a good way to use up any leftovers if you have any, but if you’re not a fan use Cheddar or Gruyere instead. It freezes well so freeze it in single portion sizes for quick defrosting so you’ve always got a delicious bowl of homemade soup to hand.
Ingredients
- 25g butter
- 1 head of celery with leaves, washed and chopped
- 500g potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 900ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 150ml single cream
- 100g blue cheese such as Stilton or Roquefort, crumbled
- Chopped fresh chives, to garnish
Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the celery, potatoes and onion and cook over a gentle heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, to soften but not brown.
Add the stock and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and simmer for 40 mins until the vegetables are very soft.
Pour the soup into a food processor or blender, or use a stick blender in the pan, and blend until smooth. Return to the pan if using a food processor or blender, stir in the cream and half the cheese and heat gently until the cheese has melted but do not boil. Check the seasoning and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary. Pour into bowls, and sprinkle with remaining cheese and the chives.
Top tip for making Celery soup with blue cheese
The easiest way to chop chives is to snip them with scissors. If you haven’t got any chives reserve a few of the celery leaves and use those as a garnish instead.
