Serves 4

Remember the tinned cream of mushroom soup your mother used to serve whenever you were ill? This is a far better version, and, if you love mushrooms, you will love this. Serve it with lots of crusty bread.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g flat-cap mushrooms
20g unsalted butter
1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml double cream, plus extra for drizzling
Nutmeg, for grating
Small handful of chives, finely chopped Small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 Heat a large, heavy-based pan with the olive oil. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

2 Slice 2 of the flat-cap mushrooms and finely chop the rest. Add the butter and the chopped mushrooms to the cooked onions and stir through. Cook for around 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms have taken on a golden-brown colour.

3 Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Season and fry for a few minutes until golden brown.

5 Transfer the soup into a blender and whiz to a smooth purée. Then, pour the purée back into the pan to reheat. Tip in the cream and season to taste with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg.

6 Divide the sautéd mushrooms among four bowls. Pour in the soup and serve with a sprinkling of chopped herbs and extra cream if you wish.

Times Recommends

• Gordon Brown’s favourite pud
• Five-spice butternut soup
• How to make popcorn and crisps