SERVES 4

This is a delicious soup from Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall. We think it works well hot or as a chilled summer dish. 

Ingredients

30g butter
1tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
4 shallots or one medium onion, sliced
3 large fennel bulbs (about 750 g) trimmed and sliced.
¼ large celeriac (about 250 g, peeled and cubed.
Finely grated zest of one orange
500ml vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 tbsp crème fraiche, to finish.

METHOD

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots or onions and sweat gently for a few minutes. Add the fennel and celeriac, stir well and sweat for about ten minutes.

Add the orange zest, stock and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for about fifteen minutes, until all the veg is tender.

Puree the soup in a blenderuntil completely smooth, adding a touch more stock or water to loosen the consistency if necessary. (You may have to blend longer than usual to blitz out all the fibres from the fennel, but it should not be necessary to pass the soup through a sieve.)

Reheat, if necessary, check the seasoning and serve with a good blob of crème fraiche on top, a few fennel fronds if you have them and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.