I thought I had tasted most soup variants until I came across this surprisingly delightful soup in a country pub down near Winchester in England.

Somehow coriander is not a flavour one would usually associate with English country cooking, but then the pub, restaurant and food scene has changed and improved so dramatically in the UK over the past number of years that nothing should really comes as a surprise.

There is a lovely freshness about this soup and it gets much of its fullness through the use of buttermilk. And, like most soups should be, it's inexpensive and very easy to make.  Cooking apples are ideal for this recipe and our local variants are particularly tasty and plentiful.

To make this unusual soup you need:
Ingredients:

25g olive oil

1 onion, peeled, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, peeled, finely chopped

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 potato, peeled and chopped

750g cooking apples, peeled, cored, chopped

600ml chicken stock

300ml buttermilk

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh coriander

To garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic over medium heat for two minutes.

Stir in the coriander powder and fry for one minute.

Add the apple and potato pieces and cook for a further two minutes.

Add the stock, stir well, then add the buttermilk, salt and pepper and stir well.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and fresh coriander.

Cream the soup in a blender.

Pour the soup back into the saucepan and gently reheat, adjusting the flavour if necessary.

Pour soup into individual warm soup bowls and garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.