Potato and Stilton soup recipe

Heat the butter in a large pan, add the onions and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until nicely softened.

Add the thyme, potatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a knife. Lift out and discard the thyme stalks. Using a hand-held blender, whizz until smooth.

Stir in most of the cheese and cream and heat through gently. Ladle into bowls, grind over black pepper, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and serve with the scones (below).