This is a divine autumn soup, sweet and sour, earthy and clean; the vodka lifts the flavour onto a whole new level without adding its own flavour.

8 medium sized raw beetroots

1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped

6 spring onion whites, chopped

1.5 litres chicken stock, nage, or half-and-half

100mls vodka

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbspns crème fraiche

1 x 15g pack of dill

• Do not top and tail the beetroots, just rinse them, brushing off any muck, then wrap them individually in tin foil, put in a steel baking tray, and put into the oven. Set it to 200C. Bake for 90 minutes, then unwrap and allow to cool till you can handle them

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan or wok. Finely chop about ¾ of the packet of dill, from the bottom of the stalks upwards, then fry them and the spring onions gently till soft. Add the stock, and bring to a bubble. Add the potato chunks, and simmer for 10 mins

• When the beetroots are cool enough to handle, peel them, and roughly chop, then add them to the stock. Bubble for 10 minutes, then add the crème fraiche, the vodka and the lemon juice, then whizz till ultra smooth in a blender. Return to the wiped clean pan, bring back to a gentle simmer, and check for seasoning. Finely chop the remaining dill

• Serve with fresh or toasted sourdough and butter, a blob of crème fraiche, and the rest of the dill sprinkled over