Pea Soup

With Minted Croutons

A lovely, easy to make soup, for the weekend. If you have fresh peas , use them, if not, frozen peas are quite acceptable.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

190g frozen peas

2 shallots, finely chopped

12 fl oz vegetable stock

2 sliced granary bread, cut into cubes

8 fresh mint leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

50ml double cream

50g butter

Method

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, over a moderate heat, add the shallots and garlic and fry for a few minutes, until softened.

Add the peas and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the peas are tender.

Add the cream and blend , with a hand-held blender, until smooth. Pass through a sieve to remove any remaining pea skin.

Season with salt and pepper.

Minted Croutons

Preheat the oven to 190c/375f/ Gas 5

Blend the olive oil with the mint leaves, until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add to the cubed bread and mix to combine. Bake the Croutons for 7 minutes until crisp and golden.

To serve: Reheat the soup and serve in warm bowls, top with Croutons.