a recipe for celery soup

I hope that title didn't put you off reading the post.

If you're still reading, you're in for a treat, because this soup is beautiful, delicate and very warming. Snatched from Jocasta Innes' The Pauper's Cookbook and modified slightly, my recipe for celery soup would make a perfect starter course - or a lovely main course if you bulked it up with lots of bread and maybe a salad with walnuts, pears and spinach.

I myself just ate it for lunch.

Celery soup
(serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main course)

500 g celery, chopped small
300 g potatoes, peeled and chopped small
250 ml skimmed milk, heated
30 g olive oil or olive oil spread
1 litre hot vegetable stock (I use Marigold's bouillon powder)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
salt and black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg (optional, but yummy)

Heat the olive oil/spread in a large pot. Add the celery and the potatoes and stir until they are well coated. Cook for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat.

Add the litre of stock. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Use a hand blender to puree the mixture; strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any particles from the soup.

Return the mixture to the pan, and mix in the warmed milk, either with a whisk or the hand blender. Heat through. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using); add the spinach and serve through. Serve immediately, or allow to cool before freezing in batches.

Calories: 150 per first-course serving, or 300 per main-course serving (not including any bread or butter).