There’s something rather lovely about a pot of soup bubbling away on the stove, especially when the days are getting a little chillier and the garden is looking a bit damp around the edges (to say the least). This is a wholesome, earthy recipe, full of flavour and just the thing to enjoy with a hunk of crusty bread after a morning pottering about outdoors. I'd love to hear about your favourite soup recipes - or what you think of this one!

This simple recipe is taken from my new book, Drawn to Nature.

Serves 4

Ingredients

•      25–30 g (1 oz) dried wild mushrooms

•      4 tbsp butter

•      3 small shallots, finely diced

•      2 cloves garlic, crushed

•      250 g (9 oz) fresh mushrooms, chopped

•      Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

•      1½ tsp herbes de Provence

•      Sploosh of any white wine you have on hand (about 50 ml/3½ tbsp)

•      750 ml (26 fl oz/3¼ cups) vegetable stock

•      1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

•      Double (heavy) cream, to taste

•      Juice of ½ lemon

•      Salt and black pepper

Method

1.     Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Boil the kettle and pour just enough water to cover them, then leave to rehydrate for at least 15 minutes. Turn them out onto a tea (dish) towel or paper towels to dry a little, keeping the ‘mushroomy’ soaking water. Once drained, chop them up.

2.     In a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat, melt half the butter and sauté the shallots until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute or so to cook off the garlic’s raw flavour. Empty the mixture into a bowl and turn the heat up a little. Add the rest of the butter and sauté the fresh mushrooms until brown and caramelised, then add the shallots and garlic back to the pan. Add the thyme, herbes de Provence and wild mushrooms and give it all a good stir. Add the wine and scrape any goodness off the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so to evaporate the alcohol, then add the stock and reserved mushroom water and turn the heat down. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3.     Add the cornflour to a little cold water and mix well, then add to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes or so until it has thickened, before adding the cream and seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes before finally adding the lemon juice, then stir before serving.