Annie Bell's Chilled Spring Onion Soups with Crab Toasts

TASTES OF HOME: British high summer on a plate

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   1. Peel and cut up the potatoes. Bring a medium-sized pan of salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes until tender.
   2. Drain and press them through a sieve or mouli-légumes back into the pan.
   3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat and gently fry the spring onions and celery for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them colouring.
   4. Add the wine and cook to reduce it by half.
   5. Add the chicken stock and some seasoning, bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. Liquidise the soup, in batches if necessary, pour into a bowl and whisk in the puréed potato.
   6. For a really silky soup, you can press it through a sieve at this point, but I rather like its rustic texture.
   7. Stir in the cream (you can reserve a little to swirl in the soup when you serve it if wished) and taste for seasoning. Cover, leave to cool and then chill.
   8. When ready to serve, whiz the crab paste, butter, lemon juice, Tabasco and a little salt in a food processor until smooth.
   9. Serve the soup scattered with chives and chive flowers, if wished, with the crab pâté dolloped on to slices of toasted baguette.