Country Mushroom Soup

I can't remember where this came from, or how far away it is from the original version. It's lovely and lemony, but if you're not too fussed on lemon-peel flavour, you may like to add less peel.

Serves 4

• 1 medium onion (about 150g, 6 oz)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp ground roasted coriander
• 225g (8oz) mushrooms
• 2 pints vegetable stock (made with a cube if necessary)
• grated rind of ½ - 1 medium lemon
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or marjoram
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 100g (4oz) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs

1. Chop the onion, garlic and mushrooms finely. Don't chop the mushrooms too finely though.

2. Saute the onion in the vegetable stock until softened, or use olive or sunflower oil if you prefer. Add the garlic and coriander and stir for about a minute.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the remaining stock, the lemon rind and the parsley. Bring to simmering point, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Season to taste, then stir in the breadcrumbs and cook for 1 minute longer.

5. Serve immediately, or freeze. Freezes well, and the breadcrumbs don't absorb too much liquid while you're cooling it.