I was sitting up in bed on Saturday morning planning my week’s food shopping – reading through recipes online, as well as my cook books, while drinking cups of tea in the warm. I came across this article (How to make the perfect broccoli and Stilton soup by Felicity Cloake) so decided to add this soup to my meal planning. I had all the ingredients already, including quite a bit of Stilton left over from Christmas.

I love these articles in The Guardian which test out different ways to make classic recipes     and do all the research for you.

Saturday was a very cold day. I was watching my daughter horse riding in the morning and spent most of the time at the stables shivering and trying to get warm by hugging my flask of coffee. My plan was to come home, make the soup for lunch and then go out shopping in the afternoon. In the end the soup was so delicious that I kept eating more and more and became too full, sleepy and warm to go anywhere. I ended up staying home all afternoon and wasn’t even very hungry in the evening.

This is Felicity Cloake’s recipe and it ranks as one of the best soups I have ever eaten.

I used my own home made vegetable stock.  This serves four (although I ate two thirds of it myself in one day).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 800ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 600ml milk
• 800g brocolli
• 200g Stilton, crumbled
• Nutmeg to garnish

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and add the shallots. Fry gently until soft and golden.
2. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli stalks into smallish chunks, then add to the pan with the softened shallots, fry for a minute, then pour in the stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, then cook until the stalk is beginning to soften (how long will depend on the size). Meanwhile, cut the head into small individual florets.
3. Once the stalk is almost tender, add the florets to the pan along with most of the Stilton, keeping a little back for garnish. Stir well, bring to a simmer, cover then cook for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the florets are soft.
4. Allow to cool slightly, then puree until smooth. Taste and season if necessary, then divide between bowls and top with the remaining cheese and a good grating of nutmeg.