Ingredients:
1 bunch celery (with leaves); 60 gms butter
1 onion, chopped; 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cream; Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Chop the celery finely. Heat butter in pan, add the onion and stir until softened. Add celery and cook, stirring, over low heat until celery is softened but not browned.
Add stock and simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes, or until celery is tender. Blend or process mixture in small batches until smooth. Return to pan, stir in cream and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir soup over heat until just heated through. Serve soup immediately, garnished with celery leaves, if desired.
The celery must be thoroughly cooked before pureeing; any stringiness will make the soup coarse in texture. For a delicious variation, crumble some cheese over soup.

Celery Stuffed with Gorgonzola

Ingredients
12 crisp celery sticks, leaves left on
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
Snipped fresh chives, to garnish

Procedure:
Wash and dry the celery sticks and trim the root ends. In a small bowl, mash the cheeses together until smooth.
Fill the celery sticks with the cheese mixture, using a palette knife to smooth the filling. Chill for 30-45 minutes before serving. Garnish with snipped chives.
Use another soft and creamy blue cheese in place of the Gorgonzola, if you prefer - or choose a strong flavoured Cheddar and grate it before adding to the cream cheese.

Celery Gratin

Ingredients
2 heads of celery; 2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper; 2 tsps cornflour
300 ml soured cream
50 gms dry breadcrumbs
50 gms mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Procedure:
Trim the celery, discarding any very tough or bruised outer stalks. Reserve a few of the inner leaves. Cut the stalks into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths.
Cook the celery with the bay leaves in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, discard the bay leaves and transfer to a gratin dish.
Blend the cornflour into the soured cream and season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the reserved celery leaves and add to the cream. Pour over the celery.
Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and cheese, and bake at degree 200C (degree 400F) mark 6 for about 30 minutes or until the celery is tender and the top is golden brown and crisp.