This smooth and chilled watercress soup tastes wonderful on a hot day. There’s a hint of lemon and minty flavour, which goes really well with the refreshing peas and watercress. This soup makes for a beautiful starter for a summery dinner, and if you want to go the extra mile, pass the soup through a sieve before chilling to make it smooth as silk. It’s a truly relaxing and cooling soup. Watercress can be so much more than just a garnish on a salad plate: the little aquatic leaf is brimming with vitamins and minerals such as iron, which makes this soup a wonderful, light and healthy lunch. The green plant has quite a strong, piquant flavour, as it is related to pungent plants like mustard and radish.
Looking for more inspiration? We have plenty of other delicious, hot and chilled soup recipes.
Ingredients
- 700g (1lb 9oz) frozen peas (we like Birds Eye)
- 100g (4oz) watercress, plus extra to garnish
- 8-10 sprigs mint, tough stalks removed
- 35g (1¼oz) butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 700ml (1¼pt) hot vegetable stock
- juice 1 lemon
Method
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and cook the onion until soft. Add the stock, bring to the boil and tip in the peas. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the watercress, mint and lemon juice, season and blend until smooth. For an extra cheffy touch, you can pass through a sieve and discard any pulp.
Chill until needed, and check the seasoning before serving, as chilling will mellow the flavours slightly. Serve with sprigs of watercress, to garnish.
