Instructions: Prepare all the vegetables.

Heat the butter in a large pan and sweat the vegetables and saffron to coat them and soften. Add water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until cooked.

In a wide based shallow pan, heat the wine and water to the boil with the onion and then throw in the parsley. Cook the cleaned mussels quickly, shaking the pan, until they open. As soon as they are open remove from the pan so as not to overcook them. Take the meat from the shells. reserve 5 shells and replace a mussel in each. Sieve the mussel cooking liquor.

When the soup is cooked, remove the bay leaf, liquidise until smooth and then pass through a sieve into a clean pan. Add the cream and a little of the mussel cooking liquor and bring back to the boil, simmering to caramelise the cream and round off the flavours. Taste and adjust seasoning, you may need a pinch of sugar.

Put the cooked mussels into a soup tureen and pour on the hot soup.

Float the mussels in the shells on top and finish with a scattering of chopped parsley.

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