I have been browsing and posting on Brumstix for over two years now and despite being a bit of a Culinary Know-All, I have never looked at this thread before!

Just the other week I visited a bizarre Hotel/Restaurant, in my favourite Sussex Village of Alfriston, that I had never been in before, namely "Wingrove House".

As I sat beneath a very scary evil looking Tiger's Head,



Right next to a glass case with a Stuffed Parrot,



I felt most weird and decided to try a variety of Soup that I have never eaten before, namely Stilton & Watercress Soup!

It was simply delicious but somwhat spoiled by being served to me with three bread rolls that must have been rescued from The Titanic and dried out for a decade over a radiator.

After trying to chisel my way through the bread crust, then almost breaking my old teeth, I asked the young lady behind the bar, if this bread was made in their kitchen to which she replied brusquely, "No!", then she deftly whisked them from under my nose and hurled them into a bin, then replaced them with delicious freshly baked rolls!

Here is a typical recipe for this most fine of English Soups!

Fresh watercress adds a glorious green colour and zingy flavour to this simple and tasty soup

Servings: 4
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
25g Butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1.2 ltr fresh chicken stock
450g Estima potatoes, peeled and diced
2 bunches of Watercress, chopped
freshly grated, nutmeg (optional)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
80g Stilton cheese
200ml double cream

Method
1. Heat the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently, stirring, until softened, around 5 minutes, taking care not to let them brown.

2. Add the stock and potatoes and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

3. Add the watercress and nutmeg, if using. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Blend the soup in a food processor, adding in the Stilton in batches, until smooth. Add the cream and blend.

5. Gently reheat the watercress soup, check the seasoning and serve.

I had "Cauliflower & Cumin Soup" at the lovely Wakehurst Place on Sunday and it was quite delicious!

However, due to underwhelming interest in my "Stilton & Watercress Soup Recipe", I won't be posting another recipe.

Way back when I were just a lad, we had Heinz Tomato Soup or Minestrone served up to us and we had to eat it or starve!