Pearl barley broth

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and gently sweat the onions with the bay leaf and thyme for about 15 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the celery, carrot and parsnip and sauté for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander, nutmeg, cayenne and mace.

Add the barley or spelt, pour in the stock and add some salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, or until the grain is very soft. Remove the bay leaf.

You can serve the broth like this or, to make it a little thicker, scoop out a couple of ladlefuls and purée them in a blender or food processor, or with a stick blender, until smooth, then return the puréed soup to the pan and warm through. Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Keep over a very low heat if you are making croûtons.

For the croûtons, cut the bread into 2cm cubes. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the bread and sizzle gently until golden, turning occasionally, then drain on kitchen paper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and scatter the hot croûtons on top to serve.

Alternative finishes

Instead of serving the soup topped with croûtons, sauté some sliced mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil until they give up some of their moisture and start to take on some colour. Scatter the fried mushrooms over the soup just before serving.

The soup is also very good simply served with a trickle of cream and chopped parsley scattered over the top.