Parsnip and Stilton Soup

Hello! Not too long now until Christmas, only a week and a bit! Is everyone excited? Is everyone prepared? If not, don't worry I come bearing some Christmas cheer in the form of this delicious and easy parsnip and stilton soup recipe. As I've said before on the blog, I have been loving soup this season, it's just so warm, comforting and such a tasty way of getting the veggies in! I've been experimenting with different recipes and have decided that this is one of my favourites. This soup is perfect for a Christmas lunch starter or using up any veg and cheese leftovers after the holidays! It's so warming, comforting and kind of healthy ( well compared to other Christmas grub!). 

This recipe makes enough for about 4 bowls of soup and can be easily doubled for a Christmas starter or for storing in the freezer for a rainy day.

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

6 Parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 vegetable stock cube

100g stilton

300ml double cream

a good knob of butter

Method

1. Put onions in a saucepan on a low heat with a good knob of butter and a pinch of salt (stops the onions browning). Sweat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10mins.

2. Crush in the garlic and stir for about a minute.

3. Chuck in the chopped parsnip and the stock cube and fill with boiling water until just covering the parsnips.

4. Bring the pan to the boil and leave to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15minutes.

5. Turn off the heat and blend the soup until smooth. It will be quite thick at this stage but don't worry.

6. Stir in the cream. This should loosen the soup but if it's still a bit thick add a wee bit more boiling water.

7. Crumble in the stilton, reserving a little to top the bowls with.

8. Taste and season to perfection.

9. Serve up and devour with some lovely crusty bread for dunking or a cheese and cranberry toastie, yum!!

 You can just see my Christmas Tree creeping in there!

And there you have it, an easy, delicious and festive soup recipe to impress everyone over the holidays. You could swap the parsnip for broccoli or just add broccoli into the recipe, that would be delicious also. Or you could fry some pancetta until it's crispy to pop on the top, oh my I wish I had done that now! Hope you like this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! Also, I would love to know what your favourite soups are? I will be back tomorrow with another what I eat in a day post! I'm away now to devour a huge bowl of this soup that has been calling my name! Thanks so much for reading,

Rachael xx.