Jill’s celery and celeriac breakfast soup!

This is an earthy soup combining the nutty celeriac and the distinctive celery to create a light but satisfying thick winter‑warming dish.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
500 g celeriac, peeled and chopped
1 large head of celery, cored and chopped
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and chopped
6–8 chestnuts, boiled, peeled and chopped (optional, but highly recommended!)
Dollop of thick yoghurt (also optional, but gives a nice creaminess to this soup)
1 litre vegetable stock

Method

1. Place the oil in a large pot and heat over a medium heat.
2. Add the celeriac, potato and celery. Stir well for 3–5 minutes then reduce the heat a little. Add the vegetable stock and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. When the vegetables are just soft, cool slightly and blend to desired consistency (I always leave about a quarter non‑blended to give some depth to the soup).
4. Return the blended and non-blended soup to the pot and warm over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Just prior to serving sprinkle with roughly chopped cooked chestnuts.