In a large pot, cook the bacon until brown and crisp.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon onto paper towels.

Add the potatoes, onion, and celery to the bacon drippings in the pot and cook, gently stirring (so veggies don’t stick to the bottom), for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, reserved clam juice, thyme, and pepper.

Mix well, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Take 2 cups of the vegetable mixture and puree until smooth, using either a food processor or blender.

Return the pureed vegetables to the soup pot and then add the creamed corn, regular corn, and clams.

Return the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until completely hot, about 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and sprinkle some of the cooked bacon on top of each bowl.

(Alternatively, you can simply add the bacon to the soup pot and stir to mix before ladling the soup into individual bowls.

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