Cream of fennel soup with anchovy croutons

This soup draws on classic French soup-making methods. It comes out smooth and soft and is delicious cold in summer. At this time of year, serve it hot with these zingy little croutons. A winning starter or light supper. Serves 4-6 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted 1 white onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 50g butter 2 sticks of celery, chopped small 1 leek, trimmed and chopped small 2 bulbs of fennel, chopped small 1.2 litres light chicken stock 150ml double cream For the croutons 3 slices sourdough bread, left out for an hour to go slightly hard 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 6 anchovy fillets, chopped small 1 Gently toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, then crush them with the side of a knife and give them a quick chop. 2 In a heavy-based saucepan, sweat the onion and garlic in the butter with the ground seeds for 5 minutes, then add the celery, leek and fennel. Season and stir. 3 Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent coloration. 4 Add the stock, bring to the boil, give it a good skim and simmer for a further 15 minutes. 5 For the croutons, remove the crusts and cut the bread into 2cm cubes. 6 Heat the oil in a wide frying pan and add the anchovy pieces, using the back of a spoon to encourage them to melt in the hot oil. Now add and gently fry the croutons, moving them around constantly until they are approaching a nice, even golden brown – less than 5 minutes total cooking time. 7 Use a slotted spoon to drain them briefly on kitchen roll and season with pepper. 8 Meanwhile finish the soup by pouring it into the blender and whizzing until smooth. Stir in the cream and season. 9 Serve in hot bowls with a scattering of croutons on top.