My usual rule for soup-making at home is to batch-cook and have some to freeze. I make an exception for a small portion of precious organic Jerusalem artichokes when they appear in the box in winter and spring.

I will never forget the first time I ate them. I’d been invited to a friend’s mum’s place for Christmas on the Sussex south coast. She served Jerusalem artichoke soup as the first course, and I was swooning over it.  It’s like alchemy: these knobbly little tubers transform into the silkiest soup with such a unique, delicate flavour.

The recipe calls for 500g of the J-artichokes. If you don’t have quite that weight, supplement with a small potato, or just reduce the other ingredients proportionately.