Spring Vegetable & Bean Soup

Spring seems to be a little stubborn right now – one day it's a beautiful sunny day that makes you feel like you have almost bypassed Spring and gone straight into Summer, the next day its cold, grey and raining – not my idea of spring! This soup however is a perfect Spring soup that will leave you without any doubt that Spring is here...somewhere! It is healthy, delicious and filled with vibrant green vegetables guaranteed to put a spring in your step!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tin of cannellini beans

1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock

1 courgette, finely diced

8 asparagus stalks, finely chopped

150g green beans, finely chopped

100g frozen peas

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze of lemon juice

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a large pan then add the leek and sauté for roughly 7 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the beans. Using a potato masher (or you could just use a fork) roughly crush about half of the beans, then add the stock. Bring to a boil then add all of the vegetables, a little salt and some ground black pepper. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still have a little bite. Squeeze in some lemon juice then taste to check the seasoning. Drizzle over a little good quality extra virgin olive oil and an extra squeeze of lemon juice. Serve straight away while piping hot so the vegetables are tender but have a little bite and are vibrant green.

*For a variation you could add some broken up spaghetti (or other pasta of your choice) and serve topped with a small spoonful of pesto for a Spring Minestrone.