POTATO AND PORCINI SOUP WITH WILD GARLIC CREAM

This creamy and comforting soup is a lovely way to use wild garlic, which is always in abundance in the UK around early springtime. If you want to make it when wild garlic is not in season, you can substitute the wild garlic for baby leaf spinach and add a garlic clove (crushed with salt) to the cream. Alternatively, pick wild garlic in season and freeze it so you can enjoy it year-round.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients l 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil l 2 leeks, finely chopped l 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves l 200g (7oz) Désirée or Cyprus potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) pieces l 30g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms, just covered in boiling water and left to soak, drained and finely chopped l 500ml (17fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock l 200ml (7fl oz) double (heavy) cream l 75g (2½oz) wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped l sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leeks, thyme, potatoes, chopped rehydrated porcini and a good seasoning of sea salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the chicken or vegetable stock and simmer very gently for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. Add half the cream, then use a stick blender to blitz the soup to a purée. The soup should coat the back of a spoon, but if you think it’s too thick then you can add some hot water. Pour the remaining cream into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the wild garlic and cook gently, until it is wilted, then use the stick blender to blitz until just smooth. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste, then spoon it into warmed bowls. Top each portion with a dollop of creamed wild garlic and serve.