Mushroom fondue

Serves 4-6

Use a selection of mushrooms to dip into mushroom fondue (Jason Lowe)

It's been some time since I've done a fondue and now that we're in mushroom season, I've been playing around with this idea and using a selection of mushrooms to dunk into the fondue. Some can be left whole; larger ones, like puffballs or ceps, can be cut into bite-sized chunks.

50g butter
1 small onion, peeled, halved and roughly chopped
120g button mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
40g flour
500ml hot vegetable stock
100g grated cheddar cheese
3tsp double cream
2tsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g wild mushrooms, cleaned
1-2tbsp olive oil

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and gently cook the onions and mushrooms for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock to avoid lumps forming. Bring to the boil, season and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend in a liquidiser, then transfer to a clean pan. The sauce should be quite thick by now – if not, continue simmering. Whisk in the cheese, double cream and parsley; re-season if necessary.

Next, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms on a medium heat for a few minutes, seasoning them lightly, until tender.

Serve the fondue in a hot dish or fondue pot, preferably on a table warmer with the mushrooms all around.