Costa flat-cap and white-cup mushrooms slow-cooked in butter and olive oil with shallot, garlic and a mix of thyme and marjoram, then blitzed smooth and finished with cream. Earthy, deep, the kind of bowl that pairs with sourdough and one good spoon.

The mushroom soup that gets called classic in French cookbooks (the velute aux champignons) leans on a roux for body; this version skips that and lets the mushrooms themselves do the thickening. Cook them long enough and the cell walls break down, the liquor reduces and the puree comes out silky without flour.

Use two kinds for depth: flat-caps for the earthy backbone, white cups for the milder cream-and-butter side. The dried herbs (rather than fresh) give the soup the soft, autumnal note of long-simmered French country cooking. The vegetable stock keeps it lighter than a chicken or beef base; the splash of sour cream at the end brightens it just enough.

Comfort food without theatrics. Serve with toasted sourdough rubbed with raw garlic, a swirl of olive oil on top, a few thyme leaves. A glass of cold dry sherry alongside if you want to keep it French.