1 pound shelled chestnuts

1 head celery

1 small onion

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoonful flour

1/2 pint cream

1 pint milk

1 teaspoonful paprika

Blanch the chestnuts and remove the brown skin. Cover them with a quart of boiling water; add the onion, the celery chopped fine, and the bay leaf; cover and cook gently thirty minutes. Press the whole of this through a colander. You can get all the chestnut pulp and a large portion of the celery through the colander. Return to the kettle; add the flour, moistened in the cold milk. Bring this slowly to boiling-point; add the paprika and cream; reheat, but do not boil; strain through a sieve, and serve with nicely toasted croûtons.