Our cream of celery soup recipe is very easy to make.

Cream soups intimidated me for years. I thought they would be so difficult to make. They aren't at all!

Just saute a few vegetables, add some broth, thicken it, add milk or cream - and voila, a delicious soup in 30 minutes start to finish.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup or more chopped celery with leaves
1/3 cup sliced onion (optional)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk or cream
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
grated nutmeg (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:
Melt the butter. Add the celery and onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup milk. Stir gradually into the hot soup. Bring to the boiling point. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add a grating of nutmeg. Serve garnished with a bit of chopped parsley.

• If you want a smooth soup, either strain it to remove the vegetables after they are cooked or whizz it in a blender or using a hand blender. I would use the blender as it keeps the nutritious veggies in the pot.

• Create a vegetarian soup recipe by simply switching the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

• A grating of nutmeg simply means just a touch. Add it to your taste, but err on the less rather than more side to start. Taste and add more if you like nutmeg. Leave it out if you really don't like it. Just a hint adds a nice touch though.

Makes 4 cups.