First Courses Main Courses Desserts Christmas Baking Veg and Veggie

Pea and Mint Soup

Ingredients

  • 100g (4oz) butter
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 1kg (2lb 4 oz) frozen petit pois
  • 850ml (1 ½ pints) hot chicken or vegetable stock
  • a large bunch of fresh mint
  • 1-2 tbsp mint jelly
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • a little crème fraiche, to serve

Pea and Mint Soup

No better soup flavour and no better soup colour. When we were photographing this soup for the book, the team voted it the very best soup anyone had tasted for yonks! Serves 6.

 
  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the peas and fry for a further couple of minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

  2. Remove the leaves from the mint stalks and set them aside. Add the stalks to the pan and bring back to the boil. Cover and simmer for about s-8 minutes, or until the peas are tender.

  3. Stir in the mint jelly, remove and discard the mint stalks and stir in the mint leaves. Spoon into a processor and whiz until smooth.

  4. Return to the pan, season with salt and pepper and serve hot or cold, garnished with a swirl of crème fraiche, and some crusty bread.

TO PREPARE AHEAD: Can be made up to a day ahead and reheated in a pan. Freezes well.

TO COOK IN THE AGA: Cook on the boiling plate (not in the simmering oven otherwise the peas will lose their colour).

This recipe is taken from: Mary Berry's Family Sunday Lunches