A Simple Bowl of Comfort: Broccoli & Stilton Soup

There's something deeply reassuring about a pot of soup simmering on the stove. It’s a quiet promise of warmth and nourishment. This Broccoli and Stilton soup is one of those recipes for me. It’s not fancy or complicated, just humble, honest food that comes together from simple ingredients, often already waiting in the vegetable drawer and fridge. It’s the kind of meal that feels like a warm hug on a drizzly day.

Gathering Your Ingredients

This soup is wonderfully adaptable, but here’s what I typically use. Don't worry about being too precise; it's very forgiving.

• A good glug of rapeseed oil (or olive oil)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced (make sure to wash it well!)
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• A generous knob of butter
• Approximately 750ml vegetable stock
• 1 large head of broccoli
• About 100g Stilton cheese, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper

The Simple Method

The process is a gentle one, mostly involving patience as the vegetables soften and their flavours meld together.

Building the Base

First, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add your onions and let them cook slowly until they’re soft and translucent. If they start to look a bit dry or catch on the bottom, just add a tiny splash of water – it’ll help them soften without burning.

Let the Vegetables Sweat

Next, stir in the celery, leek, and potato, followed by that lovely knob of butter. Give everything a good stir until the butter has melted, then pop the lid on. Let the vegetables ‘sweat’ gently for about 5 minutes. This gentle cooking helps to build a really sweet, deep flavour base for your soup.

Simmering to Perfection

Remove the lid and pour in the stock. Now, take your head of broccoli and chop the stalk into chunky pieces (there’s so much flavour there!) – add those to the pan now. Let it all cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potato and broccoli stalks are completely tender. Then, add the broccoli florets and cook for just a further 5 minutes to keep their vibrant green colour and a bit of texture.

The Final Touches

Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until beautifully smooth. Pour it back into the pan and stir through most of the crumbled Stilton, saving a little for garnish. The residual heat will melt it into the most creamy, tangy, luxurious background flavour. Season generously with black pepper – you likely won’t need salt because of the cheese.

Ladle into bowls