Roast Parsnip Soup, Glazed with Parmesan and Chive Cream

Parsnips are native to Britain, and they fulfilled the function of potatoes before the latter were introduced – they were served with roast beef, and eaten with salt fish on Ash Wednesday and other fast days. It was their sweet flavour that was valued mainly and, in Elizabethan times, they were even included in sweet dishes. They could also stay in the ground over the winter without spoiling, so were an extremely useful food.

I love roast parsnips. I couldn’t bear them when I was at