A warming bowl of deliciousness ready in 30 minutes. The chowder-style (less bacon) soup is thick and creamy and when the beautiful briny cooking liquid and mussels are stirred through it becomes something quite exquisite.

The Mt Martha mussels in the farm gate have a wonderfully clean and fresh ocean smell, without any fishy aroma. Here are some tips preparing mussels for cooking. Rinse under cold running water, cleaning off any debris with a scrubbing brush. Remove the beards by firmly pulling up or down along the shell seam. If mussels don’t open during cooking, carefully prise them open with a butter knife. If they smell of clean sea water they’re OK to eat. If they don’t, chuck them out.

serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, green top removed, white part chopped finely

1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped, reserve fronds, chopped for garnish

2 large floury potatoes (such as Sebago, King Edward)

750ml stock

1 bay leaf

1kg fresh blue mussels, beards removed as described above.

200ml white wine

300ml cream

ciabatta, served sliced fresh or grilled

Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leek and celery and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, until softened but not allowing to brown. Reduce heat if necessary. Stir in the fennel, potato and bay leaf. Pour in the stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potato and fennel are very tender. Using a stick blender, puree until desired consistency is reached. The photo shows a roughly blended soup with some chunky vegetable texture, or you can puree until smooth.

Meanwhile, place the mussels and wine in a large saucepan with tight fitting lid over a high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mussels open, then remove immediately from the heat. Reserve the cooking liquid and four mussels in their shells. Remove the remaining mussels from the shells, discarding shells. Set mussels aside.

Strain the cooking liquid (about 400ml) through a fine mesh sieve into the vegetable mixture. Add the cream and stir to combine. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the mussels to warm through. Ladle soup into four bowls, placing a shell in each bowl for decor. Scatter over the chopped fennel. Serve immediately with fresh or grilled bread.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, June 2022