Creamy Vegetable Soup with Barley - River Cottage

Ingredients

• 15g butter
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• A few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small parsnip, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• A few gratings of nutmeg
• A good pinch of cayenne pepper
• A pinch of ground mace
• 100g pearl barley (or pearled spelt), rinsed
• 1 1/2 litres vegetable stock
• A small handful of parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the croûtons
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• About 200g slightly stale white bread