"There once was an ugly duckling..."

How ood is that?

About a year ago I wrote a blog on swede, saying it was not the world's most handsome vegetable. Recently tho, I've made a new veggie friend and I tell you, he makes the swede look like the Brad Pitt of the vegetable universe.

I'm talking about celeriac, which is a root vegetable with a bulbous hypocotyl. Oh yes. I'm not sure what that is, but it sure makes the celeriac look like one of those Ood creatures out of Doctor Who. It also makes it a pain to peel. But once you're past that... Well, you know the story of the ugly duckling? That's what happens to the celeriac. Metaphorically.

Today sees the arrival of our latest 'seasonal' soup, celeriac with a touch of horseradish. It's the newest soup in our repertoire, but it's a new year so why not a new soup? That's not to say we won't be sad to bid farewell to tasty stalwart Moroccan Harira, whose place it'll be taking. Harira's done good service, and I'm sure she'll be back as a daily special some day soon.

As a soup experience, celeriac with a touch of horseradish is the opposite to Harira: it's a smooth, pale soup with sweet-sharp tang. Celeriac's the newest addition in our vegetable arsenal and we tried it first with kale and then blue cheese before we discovered horseradish. Each flavour worked well, but there's something about that creamy, tangy aspect of horseradish that really complements the rooty, celery flavour of the celeriac.

So come along and try it out today - remember, you can always try before you buy at Union. And if you're lucky, I'll go get a whole celeriac out of the stockroom and do my Ood impression. (Not sure that counts as "lucky" - ed.) Dinner and a show. "Ood" not want some of that?

Amy