Chicken and corn chowder

A chowder is a thick, chunky soup-and this one, packed with chicken and sweet corn, makes an extra-special lunchtime treat.

Ingredients.
40g butter
1 onion, chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and diced
25g plain flour
900ml full-fat milk
1 bay leaf
300g can sweet corn
350g skinless cooked chicken, diced
2tbsp double cream (optional)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Method of preparation.

Step 1,
Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes to soften. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes.

Step 2,
Sprinkle over the flour then gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf and half the sweet corn. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

Step 3,
Pour the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, or pass through a sieve. Return to the remaining sweet corn and the chicken. Add the cream, if using, the nutmeg and seasoning. Heat through gently for 4 to 5 minutes until hot, serve each portion garnished with chopped ground black pepper and parsley.

Serves 4
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Fat per serving 25g
Calories per serving 540