This simple and straightforward recipe will warm your bones on these cold days. Oh, and it’s mad cheap.

I made a pot which fed two people for three big lunches, adding the nutmeg and milk at the last minute each time.

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes, washed, unpeeled, chopped
• Around 5-6 sticks of celery
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium onions
• 1 leek
• 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
• 100 mls of milk
• 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• Black pepper
• Oil or butter

Method

1. Sweat the onions, leek, and garlic in oil or butter for five minutes over a medium heat, lid on, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the potatoes and celery and sweat for a further five minutes.

3. Add the thyme and stir well.

4. Throw in the stock and bay leaves, bring to the boil and immediately reduce to a low simmer. Cook for around 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Sift out the bay leaves and blend well.

5. Add the milk and nutmeg and stir well. Alternatively, to ensure a slightly longer life for the soup if you want to eat it over a number of days, add a little milk to the soup each time you heat it, with the nutmeg.