This soup is from my book ‘Vegetarian Cooking Without’. In it potatoes and sweetcorn nestle in a creamy sauce that is subtly flavoured with herbs and spices. The recipe makes 2 meal sized bowls or 4 smaller bowls.

1 Heat the oil in a saucepan and sweat the onion until it begins to soften.

2 Add the herbs and spices and potatoes and sweat for another 2 minutes then add the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Simmer for 5-8minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked but still holding their shape.

3 Mix the rice flour with the milk and add to the pan along with the sweetcorn. Bring to the boil stirring regularly and simmer for 2 minutes.

4 Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf and serve.