Czech garlic soup (Česnečka)

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 cm dice. Heat the oil in a pan, toast the caraway seeds in it for 30 seconds, then add the potatoes and stir for 2 minutes.

2. Pour in the water, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

3. Cut the bread slices into cubes and toast in a dry frying pan or the oven until crisp; grate the cheese.

4. Peel the garlic and crush it to a paste with a little salt. Take the soup off the heat, stir in the garlic and the crumbled marjoram and leave covered for 5 minutes – the garlic isn't cooked, so it stays fresh and punchy.

5. Put a handful of croutons and grated cheese in the bottom of each bowl and ladle the hot soup over them.

6. Serve immediately, piping hot.

Tip: Česnečka is the Czech "hangover soup": served as a cure in pub kitchens open till dawn and on cold winter nights; for a more filling version, drizzle a beaten egg into the hot soup.