Brussels sprout and stilton soup

Yield: 4 servings

Brussels sprout and stilton soup is a pale, mild and creamy soup. The blue cheese flavour comes through and goes well with the lightly cooked sprouts

Ingredients:

• 200 grams stilton; Ulrike Frisian Blue from Northern Germany
• 600 ml milk
• 2 onions
• 30 grams butter
• 500 grams brussels sprouts

To serve

• 100 grams chestnuts , vacuum-packed or tinned, sliced; I used fresh, peeled and roasted
• a little butter

Instructions

1. Set aside 50g of the stilton. Bring the milk to the boil, switch off the heat immediately and crumble in the remaining stilton. Cover with a lid and leave to infuse.
2. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Melt the butter in a large, deep pan and add the chopped onion, letting it soften over a low heat. Finely shred 300 grams of the brussels sprouts then add to the onion and fry gently for about 8 minutes, moving them round the pan from time to time, then add the milk and cheese mixture and bring to the boil. Check the seasoning then blitz with a blender to a smooth and creamy soup, a little at a time.
3. To finish, cut the remaining 200 grams of sprouts in quarters then fry in a little butter till lightly browned on the edges. Add the sliced chestnuts, then spoon them onto the soup once it has been ladled into bowls. Scatter over the remaing blue cheese.

total time: 35 minutes
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking/baking time: 15 minutes