Ingredients

• 25g/1oz unsalted butter
• 450g/1lb chestnut mushrooms
• wiped & thickly sliced
• 350g/12oz flat field mushrooms
• wiped
• peeled and thickly sliced
• 115g/4oz button mushrooms
• 2 heaped teaspoons plain flour
• 150ml/¼ pint dry sherry
• 300ml/½pint vegetable stock
• 300ml/½ pint double cream
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• roughly chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 900g/2lb potatoes
• scrubbed well
• 280g/10oz buttermilk
• nutmeg
• freshly grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large leek
• washed and shredded
• 450g/1lb dark green cabbage or spring greens
• washed and finely shredded

Directions

• In a large frying pan or wok
• heat the butter and fry the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes
• or until slightly softened.
• Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further minute. Add the sherry
• half the vegetable stock
• and the thyme. Season well and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Add the cream and lemon juice to the mushroom broth and simmer for a further five minutes
• adding extra vegetable stock if the broth looks too thick. (The broth should be like a thick gravy).
• Cut the scrubbed potatoes into small
• even sized pieces. Place into a saucepan
• cover with water and cook until tender.
• Drain well
• return to the saucepan
• and mash with the buttermilk. Season with nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm.
• In a large frying pan or wok
• heat the olive oil and fry the leek briskly for two minutes.
• Add the shredded cabbage and stir fry over a high heat for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve
• ladle the broth into four warmed
• large soup plates. Place a scoop of creamy mashed potato in the centre of the broth and top the potato with a flourish of spicy cabbage.