Potato, leek and wild mushroom soup with chipotle oil and creme fraiche

Serves six

For the chipotle oil

• 75g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large leek
• 1 stick celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 0 freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 600g maris piper potatoes
• 15g dried porcini
• 250g mixed wild mushrooms
• 200g chestnut mushrooms
• 125 litres chicken
• 75g creme fraiche

And for the rest of the week…

• 2 dried chipotle chillies
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 300g olive oil

Step 1
Make the oil first.

Step 2
Tear open and deseed the chillies (wear rubber gloves or wash your hands afterwards).

Step 3
Heat a small frying pan and, when hot, toast the chillies for 20-30 seconds a side, then tip into a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes (or use two tablespoons of chipotles en adobo from a jar, and skip this stage).

Step 4
While the chillies are soaking, get on with the veg.

Step 5
Put half the butter and the oil in a casserole, add the leek, celery, garlic and a few pinches of salt, sweat gently over a medium-high heat for five minutes, then stir in the thyme, bay and potatoes.

Step 6
Strain the soaked porcini, reserving the liquor, then finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pot with 100ml of the liquor.

Step 7
Cover and leave to bubble gently for 10-12 minutes.

Step 8
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on a high flame, add the remaining butter and, once it’s sizzling, stir-fry all the fresh mushrooms for three to four minutes, until coloured and soft.

Step 9
Tip two-thirds of the mushrooms into the pot (you’ll use the rest to garnish) and pour in the stock.

Step 10
Season the soup, simmer for 20 minutes, then blitz smooth with a hand blender (if you prefer a more rustic soup, leave it a bit on the chunky side).

Step 11
Once the chillies are soft, drain them and put in the small bowl of a food processor with the garlic and half a teaspoon of sea salt.

Step 12
Blitz to a paste, then, with the motor running, slowly add the oil until incorporated.

Step 13
Transfer to a glass jar and seal – the oil will keep for a month or two.

Step 14
Taste the soup for seasoning, then spoon into warmed bowls.

Step 15
Top each portion with a teaspoon of cream, scatter over the reserved mushrooms, add a trickle of chilli oil and serve.