Mushroom soup with caramelised baguette bites

Ingredients:

• Glug olive oil 
• 1 punnet (400g) button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 punnet (200g) portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 punnet (150g) shimeji mushrooms, cleaned
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 4 cups (1L) vegetable stock
• Salt and milled pepper
• 1 tub (250ml) cream
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) butter
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) flour

Toasties:

• Glug olive oil
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) butter
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1 wheel (100g) camembert, sliced
• Handful fresh thyme, for serving

Method: 

1. Heat oil in a pot over high heat and brown mushrooms in batches.
2. Remove and set aside.
3. Sauté onion and celery for about 5-7 minutes or until soft.
4. Add garlic and thyme and fry for a minute.
5. Return ¾ mushrooms to pot and top up with stock. Season.
6. Simmer soup for 10 minutes.
7. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
8. Add cream to soup and season to taste.
9. Rub butter and flour together using your fingertips, and whisk into soup (making sure there are no lumps).
10. Simmer for 5 minutes.
11. For toasties, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion for 10 minutes or until caramelised.
12. Add butter and thyme and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until dark brown.
13. Top baguette slices with camembert and caramelised onion, oven-toasting for about
    3 minutes or until cheese melts.
14. Top soup with remaining mushrooms, garnish with thyme and serve baguettes
15. bites on the side.