Mushroom Soup with Wild Garlic Butter

1. Trim the roots and woody greens from the leeks, then slice a cross in the top and rinse out any grit. Finely slice the leeks. Brush any dirt off the chestnut and wonky mushrooms, then tear them into small pieces. Fill and boil your kettle.

2. Add 25g of the butter to a large pan and set it on a medium heat. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Fry, stirring often, for 5 mins till the leeks have softened but not picked up too much colour.

3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and season again. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or till the mushrooms are soft and juicy.

4. Crumble in the vegetable stock cube, then pour in 800ml hot water from the kettle. Turn the heat up and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins.

5. Meanwhile, roughly chop 30g wild garlic and add it to a food processor. Chop in 100g butter. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper and blitz to combine. No food processor? Chop the butter and scoop it into a bowl. Beat with electric beaters or a wooden spoon until creamy. Finely chop the wild garlic and add to the butter with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

6. When the soup has simmered for 10 mins, ladle it into a blender and blitz till smooth, or use a hand-held blender and blitz the soup together in the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You can add a splash of milk to the soup, if you prefer a less intense mushroom flavour.

7. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Top each serving with a generous spoonful of wild garlic butter. Serve straight away.

8. Prep Ahead
The wild garlic butter can be made ahead, wrapped in greaseproof paper and stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.