Anna Louise Celeriac is one of those vegetables that looks completely uninviting and tastes completely wonderful. Knobbly, rough-skinned, and awkward to peel, it sits in the vegetable section looking like something from another era.
But cooked — particularly in a soup — it reveals itself as one of the finest winter vegetables available. Mild, slightly nutty, with a delicate celery-like flavour that is far more subtle and elegant than actual celery, it blends to a supremely silky consistency that is difficult to achieve with most other vegetables.
Mary Berry’s celeriac soup is the recipe I make when I want a dinner party starter that looks and tastes genuinely sophisticated but requires almost no technical skill. The colour is a beautiful pale ivory.
The texture is extraordinarily smooth. The flavour is subtle and complex — earthy, slightly sweet, with a warmth from the nutmeg that suits it perfectly. A drizzle of truffle oil or a scattering of crispy bacon on top finishes it in the most elegant way.
It is also, quietly, one of the most underrated soups on this site. Make it once and you will make it every winter.
Why Celeriac Makes Such Good Soup
Celeriac has two qualities that make it particularly well suited to blended soup.
It blends to an extraordinary smoothness. The flesh of celeriac is dense and fine-grained, and when cooked and blended it produces a consistency that is silkier than almost any other root vegetable — closer to a velouté than a vegetable purée. No need to pass it through a sieve. A stick blender for two minutes is enough.
Its flavour is subtle enough to work with many additions. Celeriac has a mild, slightly nutty, celery-adjacent flavour that pairs beautifully with apple, truffle, crispy bacon, Parmesan, and hazelnuts. It is a gentle background flavour that other ingredients can play against, which makes it one of the most versatile soup bases there is.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Celeriac Soup
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 1kg celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped into 3cm chunks
- 1 medium potato (about 200g), peeled and roughly chopped (adds body)
- 1.2 litres good quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 150ml double cream
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
To Serve
- A swirl of double cream
- Crispy smoked bacon lardons or pancetta (optional but wonderful)
- A few drops of truffle oil (optional — for a more elegant finish)
- Fresh chives, finely snipped
- Crusty bread or warm rolls
How to Make Mary Berry Celeriac Soup — Step by Step
Step 1 — Peel the Celeriac
Peeling celeriac is the only fiddly part of this recipe. Cut it into large wedges first, then slice the skin off each wedge with a sharp knife — following the contour of the vegetable rather than trying to use a peeler, which struggles with the uneven surface. Work quickly as celeriac discolours slightly when exposed to air — a squeeze of lemon juice over the pieces as you peel helps prevent this.
Step 2 — Sweat the Aromatics
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until completely softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 3 — Add the Celeriac, Potato and Stock
Add the chopped celeriac and potato to the pan. Stir to combine with the softened vegetables. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until both the celeriac and potato are completely tender — no resistance when tested with a knife.
The potato is not essential but it adds a little extra body to the finished soup and slightly mellows the celeriac flavour, giving a more rounded, less assertive result.
Step 4 — Blend Until Silky
Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth. Celeriac blends particularly well — two minutes with a stick blender should give you an extraordinarily smooth result. For the silkiest possible finish, pass the blended soup through a fine sieve, though this is optional.
Step 5 — Finish and Season
Return to the hob over a low heat. Stir in the double cream, grated nutmeg, and lemon juice. Warm through gently. Taste and season carefully with salt and white pepper — white pepper rather than black gives a cleaner, more elegant flavour without the visible specks that black pepper leaves in a pale soup.
Step 6 — Serve
Ladle into warm bowls. Add a swirl of cream, a scattering of crispy bacon lardons if using, a few drops of truffle oil if using, and a scattering of finely snipped chives. Serve with crusty bread.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Celeriac Soup
Use white pepper rather than black. Black pepper in a pale ivory soup looks like specks of dirt and the flavour is slightly too assertive for the delicate celeriac. White pepper gives a clean, subtle heat that suits this soup perfectly and keeps the appearance pristine.
Add a small potato for body. One medium potato adds a little extra starch that gives the finished soup a slightly more substantial body without changing the flavour. It is a small addition that makes a noticeable difference to the texture.
Do not skip the nutmeg. Nutmeg and celeriac is one of the great flavour pairings in vegetable cookery — the warm, slightly spicy note of freshly grated nutmeg enhances the earthiness of the celeriac without overpowering it. A little goes a long way — a quarter teaspoon is enough.
Truffle oil is worth the investment. A bottle of good quality truffle oil is relatively inexpensive and lasts a long time. A few drops drizzled over celeriac soup before serving elevates it from very good to genuinely spectacular. The earthy, complex flavour of truffle has a natural affinity with celeriac. If you entertain regularly, truffle oil is one of the most useful things in your kitchen.
Crispy bacon on top adds a wonderful contrast. The delicate, creamy, slightly sweet celeriac soup is beautiful on its own, but a scattering of crispy smoked bacon lardons on top adds a salty, smoky crunch that contrasts beautifully with the silky soup beneath. It is a straightforward addition that makes the soup feel more complete as a meal.
Squeeze lemon over the celeriac as you peel it. Celeriac oxidises quickly once peeled and can develop a greyish tinge if left uncovered. A squeeze of lemon juice over the pieces as you work prevents this and makes no difference to the finished flavour of the soup.
Serving Suggestions
As an elegant dinner party starter in small bowls with a drizzle of truffle oil — this is when it is at its most impressive. As a warming weekday lunch with crusty bread and good butter.
As a simple supper in a large mug on a cold evening. The crispy bacon version makes a more substantial starter that works well before a lighter main course.
How to Store Mary Berry Celeriac Soup
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the hob. Add a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.
In the freezer: Freeze before adding the cream for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, and stir in the cream once warm.
Mary Berry Celeriac Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Peel celeriac by cutting into wedges and slicing off skin with a sharp knife. Squeeze lemon over pieces to prevent discolouring.
- Melt butter with olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook onion and celery for 8–10 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Add celeriac and potato. Stir to combine. Pour in stock. Bring to the boil then simmer covered for 20–25 minutes until completely tender.
- Blend until completely smooth — 2 minutes with a stick blender gives an excellent result.
- Return to low heat. Stir in cream, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Warm through — do not boil. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream, add crispy bacon and truffle oil if using, scatter chives. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I buy celeriac?
Most large supermarkets stock celeriac from September through to March — it is a winter vegetable and at its best in the colder months. Farm shops and farmers’ markets in autumn and winter are also reliable sources. It is sold as a whole root, usually with some of the outer skin still attached.
Can I make this soup without cream?
Yes — the soup is still excellent without cream. The celeriac and potato give enough body and richness on their own. Alternatively, stir a spoonful of crème fraîche into each bowl when serving. For a dairy-free version, oat cream works well.
Can I add apple to celeriac soup?
Yes — celeriac and apple is a classic combination. Add one peeled, cored, roughly chopped eating apple with the celeriac and potato. It adds a subtle sweetness and a light fruitiness that lifts the soup beautifully. A Granny Smith apple adds a slight sharpness; a Cox or Braeburn adds sweetness.
Why does my celeriac soup taste bitter?
Bitterness is usually caused by celeriac that is past its best — very old celeriac can develop a slightly bitter flavour. Buy fresh, firm celeriac with no soft spots and use it promptly. If the soup still tastes slightly bitter, a little extra cream and a pinch more salt usually resolves it.
Can I make a celeriac and leek soup?
Yes — replace the onion with two large leeks (washed and sliced) and follow exactly the same method. Celeriac and leek is a wonderful combination — the leeks add a gentle onion sweetness that complements the earthiness of the celeriac beautifully.
Is this soup suitable for a dinner party?
It is one of the best dinner party soups there is — elegant in appearance, interesting in flavour, and almost completely hands-off once the initial preparation is done. Make it the day before, refrigerate, and reheat gently just before your guests arrive.
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