Celeriac, spinach & cannellini bean soup

Ingredients 1 celeriac root, 200g spinach, 1 can cannellini beans, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp dill, 1 leek.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

I find that most soups benefit from slow, gentle cooking and being left for a day for the flavours to mature. Some soups however, are seriously quick to put together and this is certainly one of them! The husky flavour of the celeriac is brought out gloriously by the surprise perfection of nutmeg and dill. A definite winner.

1) Peel the celeriac with a sharp knife by cutting about a centimetre off both ends and sides, leaving a squareish core. Dice and add to a pan along with the leek, finely chopped and cover with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil.

2) After 15 minutes, add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Puree thoroughly in a blender, then add back to the pan along with the beans.

3) Season with the nutmeg and dill, simmer for at least 5 minutes to cook the beans then serve hot.

Cauliflower and celeriac soup with pistou

Ingredients 1 white onion, butter, 1 cauliflower, 1 celeriac, 1 pint vegetable stock, basil leaves, basil oil, almond slivers.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house comforting, and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This soup has a velvety smooth texture and a wonderful earthy flavour which is beautifully contrasted by the swirl of pistou (a French equivalent of pesto made of almonds, which are the cauliflower's perfect flavour partner).

1) Peel the celeriac with a sharp knife by cutting about a centimetre off both ends and sides, leaving a squareish core. Prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and slicing the stem to the base. Slice around the stem to release the florets. Dice both and set aside.

2) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in a little butter until soft. Stir in the cauliflower and celeriac, then add the vegetable stock and simmer on the hob for 20 minutes.

3) To make the pistou, add a good handful of fresh basil leaves to a mortar bowl and grind to a fine pulp. Lightly toast the almond slivers, shaking and turning the pan until they just turn golden brown, before adding to the mortar bowl with a glug of basil oil and grinding thoroughly.

4) Separate the vegetables from the liquid using a colander and puree thoroughly in a blender.

5) Pass the pureed cauliflower, celeriac and onion through a sieve and back into the stock, then stir through until the soup has been incorporated. Serve with the pistou.

Celeriac gratin

Ingredients Celeriac, double cream, cheddar, salad onions

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Despite being a life-long loather of celery, I straight up adore celeriac. The acerbic taste and texture of celery is not present in cooked celeriac for me, it just brings woody notes to a dish and has a wonderful soft texture. This gratin is a fabulous alternative to potato and makes a fantastically comforting side dish.

1) Peel the celeriac with a sharp knife by cutting about a centimeter off both ends and sides, leaving a squareish core. Slice this into 1/3 centimetre thick slices and set aside.

2) Finely slice the salad onions and grate the cheddar. Assemble the gratin by pouring a little cream into the bottom of the dish and setting the first layer of celeriac into it. Spoon over a little more cream, grated cheddar and onion and then add another layer of celeriac, pressing each layer down firmly.

3) Top with a final layer of grated cheddar, cover with foil and bake in the top of the oven for 45 - 50 minutes at 200 degrees, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes.

Celeriac mash

Ingredients     1/2 Celeriac, 2 potatoes, 2 tablespoons butter, salt.

Serves: 4 preparation: 20 minutes


I loathe celery. I feel the way about celery that Stewie does about broccoli. It tastes horrible, it has a horrible texture and I find it rather offensive that it takes more calories to eat it than it actually contains. Celeriac on the other hand, despite being somewhat celery flavoured is actually delicious raw in salads but my absolute favourite way to serve it is this wonderful, creamy, earthy mash.


1) Peel the celeriac root with a sharp knife and slice into chunks. Peel and slice the potato and boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Strain and puree in a blender along with the butter and salt and serve.