Serves 4+

Ingredients:

2 tbls Extra virgin olive oil

150g diced dry cured streaky bacon

300g sliced onion (2 small/med brown onions)

Approx 300-350g sliced fennel (1 large bulb) 

1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme leaves

Approx 450-500g peeled and diced potato (2 medium potatoes, your favourite variety)

1.5L chicken stock or water

Salt and black pepper

1 tsp. white vinegar

25g cold butter

To garnish:

grated cheddar cheese

sour cream or crème fraiche

chopped chives or green shallot

Good crusty bread

Method:

Heat a medium sized pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and the bacon and sauté until the bacon has rendered and is crispy. Scoop of the bacon pieces and set aside but leave the rendered fat in the pot. Add in the sliced onion and fennel and a good pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring every few minutes, for 20 minutes until this is completely caramelised. Scoop out 1/3 of this mixture and set it aside to stir into the finished soup. Leave the remaining caramelised onion and fennel in the pot.

Next, pour in the stock (or water), the thyme and the potatoes and bring this to a simmer. Add another big pinch of salt. Simmer until the potato is completely tender and falling apart, approximately 30 (might be more or less time, it just depends on how big you have diced the potato).

Using a stick blender or a stand up blender, blend the soup (you may need to do this in two stages to not overfill your blender). While the machine is running, add in the cold butter and vinegar and blend until completely smooth and velvety. Pour the pureed soup back into the soup pot and taste for seasoning. Adjust with salt (you’ll almost always need to add more salt but be careful of salted stocks which can be salty!). Bring it back to a simmer, add in the caramelised onion and fennel which you removed earlier and then stir and serve steaming hot.

Top soup with the crispy bacon pieces, a good sharp cheddar, a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche, chives and lots of black pepper. A good piece of crusty bread to dunk into the soup is delicious!