As I write this in early December, it is decidedly chilly and very wet outside in Jersey. The perfect weather for soup. Now, there are cold soups like gazpacho and elegant consommés, but for me it has to be something thick and hot served with a big chunk of bread. I think with the British weather the best thing to do, apart from find a pub with a big roaring fire and a winter ale, is to slurp mugs of delicious hearty soup.

As you settle down to enjoy your soup, did you know that the word restaurant, as we use it today, was first associated with a Parisian shopkeeper in the 1760s who started serving pots of soup on his premises? Bisque is a term usually applied to creamy shellfish or roasted vegetable soups, where the main ingredients are first roasted and coloured, then simmered to form a stock – the soup is therefore twice cooked or “bis cuites”.

This soup is a little bit of a cheat as its ingredients are only cooked once, but it sounds too nice a name to seriously quibble. The great thing about the recipe is that it is a bit of a clear-out classic if like me you always have a few bits and pieces of cheese in your fridge. You can pretty much use anything as long as it is robust enough to stand up to the taste of the beer, and you can have a lot of fun trying different brews as well as cheeses.

My beer choice is a nod to my love of Norfolk, Woodforde’s Nelson’s Revenge, a classic, malty bitter with enough citrus and spice to tickle my palate and it is delicious with the cheddar in this recipe. I heartily recommend just trying a sip and a piece of cheese, a match made in heaven. You can use cheddar on the croute on top of the soup, but blue cheese takes the soup to another level.

Mature cheddar and Nelson’s Revenge chowder:

Soup

Large nugget of butter

Slug of olive oil

2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced

2 sticks of celery washed and finely sliced

1 garlic clove peeled and crushed

250g strong cheddar grated

2tb plain flour

Half tbsp Dijon mustard

Quarter tsp thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

1 bottle of Nelson’s Revenge 

250ml Jersey pouring cream

Sea salt and finely ground white pepper to taste

Croutes

8 pieces of stale baguette thinly sliced

1 garlic clove halved

Olive oil

100g stilton grated

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and gently cook the onion, celery, garlic, and thyme until softened but not browned – around 20 minutes. Stir now and again to stop it catching.

Add the flour and cook for two to three more minutes, then add the beer, mustard and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and blitz with a hand blender. Add the cheese and cream and reheat without boiling, as this will cause the soup to split. Correct seasoning before serving.

For the croutes, toast the bread, rub each slice with garlic, then drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle with the cheese and grill until bubbling. Serve the soup with the cheese croutes on top.