Celeriac, Pancetta & Thyme Soup

Until the day I received it in my Oddbox, I had never cooked with, or even heard of celeriac. And now that I have, I can't wait to cook with it again!

Celeriac is basically celery root, but it's taste is far from the plant like taste of celery. It instead resembles potato (which is fitting as they're both root vegetables). The appearance however, is a little gnarly (kind of reminds me of the Mandrake root from Harry Potter... google it and let me know if you agree!), but it takes on a subtle sweet taste when cooked, which makes it perfect for soup.

Those of you who enjoy potato soup will definitely want to try this. Unfortunately I can't take the credit for this wonderful recipe - it goes to BBC Good Food - and they've absolutely smashed it with this combination of ingredients! Pairing it with pancetta adds a fabulous salty flavour which means you don't have to add any additional on top, and the thyme rounds it all off with a delectable herby aroma that brings the whole dish together.

It's actually super easy to make, and it the perfect healthy bowl of soup you need in your life during winter. The best bit? It's surprisingly high in protein too, making it a winner if you're on a healthy or keto diet!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

• small splash olive oil, plus a drizzle to serve

• 100g sliced pancetta

• small knob butter

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• large bunch thyme, leaves picked and set aside (I used dried thyme which worked just as well)

• 1 celeriac, cut into chunks

• 850ml fresh chicken stock

• 100ml double cream

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Sizzle the pancetta for about 3 mins on each side until crisp, then remove to a plate and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in the same pan, add the onion, bay leaf and thyme stalks, and cook for 10 mins until just starting to turn golden. Add the celeriac and cook for 2 mins more.

3. Pour over the stock and simmer for 10 mins until the celeriac is soft. Stir in the cream and bring back to the boil.

4. Fish out the bay and thyme stalks, then purée the soup until smooth.

5. Stir through half the thyme leaves and ladle the soup into bowls. Serve topped with the crispy pancetta, the remaining thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

304kcal

9g carbs

24g fat (12g saturated)

14g protein

7g fiber

6g sugar

1.6g salt