Recipes

Chosen from New Country Kitchen by Henrietta Green, this soup recipe could be used with any good strong blue cheese, but is particularly useful for using up the Christmas Stilton.

Serves 4

    30g/ 1oz butter
    1 onion, finely chopped
    1tbsp flour
    Zest of ½ lemon
    900ml/ 1½ pint chicken stock
    115g/ 4oz Stilton cheese
    2tbsp single cream (optional)
    Small bunch of chives, chopped
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a large pan over a medium heat, melt the butter and cook the onion for about 5-7minutes, until soft and golden. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Add the lemon zest and stock to the pan and bring to the boil.

Either chop the cheese or crumble it with the fingers. Stir it into the pan, turn down the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes until it is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and, if you like your soup really smooth, put it it in a food processor and whizz until smooth.

Season with plenty of black pepper but, depending on the cheese, go easy on the salt. Serve with a swirl of cream, if wished, and sprinkle with chives.