Celery and cashew soup

The other week I saw a program on food waste where a zero waste chef taught the presenter a few tricks how to reduce food waste. They looked at various kinds of produce in a box among which there was also the usual suspect: a bunch of celery. The show presenter aptly noted that one always buys a bunch of celery, use one stalk and leave the rest to wither in the crisper. Why is that actually? Maybe we have to bring crudités back into fashion…which is actually not such a bad idea. Another idea would be to ask your greengrocers to sell the stalks individually. If it can be done with herbs, I don’t see a reason why that can’t be done with celery. A small bunch of parsley is often extortionately expensive, considering that it is neither grown in faraway countries or difficult to farm. Nobody seems to question these prices. I wonder what would happen if supermarkets sold individual stalks of celery at a price, say half of the price of a whole bunch. Still a good deal considering that most people do only use a stalk and eventually throw the rest of the bunch after a few weeks.

I am always amazed how long a bunch of celery actually keeps in the crisper. Although you buy it bright green and it kind of turns yellowish after a few weeks, it’s still good to use.

If you lack the spark of imagination of what to do with leftover vegetables, soup is always a good makeshift. It's mostly not elaborate and even people who are not very kitchen-savvy can create something in the blink of an eye that will make them feel content. I have a recipe from a long-forgotten classic on vegetarian cooking The Cranks Recipe Book by Cranks Restaurant. Cranks Restaurant was a vegetarian restaurant opened in the early 1960s in London. It proved so popular they soon opened more branches in London and also other cities in the UK. It was revolutionary for its time, since there were hardly any vegetarian restaurants, let alone restaurants that used organic ingredients. Unfortunately it declined in the 80s, was sold to Guiness and there were several unsuccessful attempts to revive it. The cookbook is out of print, but it has some very tasty basic vegetarian and vegan recipes, so I recommend you look for a second-hand copy. I have adapted the recipe a little and used less milk as I wanted a creamier soup. However you can add more if you prefer it a little more liquidy.

Celery and cashew nut soup

• 1 medium-sized onion

• 1 medium-sized potato

• 1 leftover bunch of celery (the heart and a few stalks)

• 25 g butter (or two tablespoons oil)

• 75 cashew nuts

• 750 ml vegetable stock

• 250 ml milk (alternatively oat milk)

• salt and pepper

Chop the vegetables. Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the cashews and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 20 minutes. Add the milk and put in a food processor (or use a handheld blender) to liquidise. Season to taste. Reheat to serving temperature.