I so wish I could call this soup something fancy, as even I must admit the combo of ingredients sounds a tad odd – but you’ll just need to trust me on this one. It works.

My partner loves soup almost as much as me, but it’s a never-ending battle between smooth and chunky soup.  I much prefer a thick, chunky soup, but he likes something he can drink out of a flask if he’s working.  I call it ‘baby soup’. 

This is a baby soup – but it has a very grown-up flavour profile.

The combination of courgette and coconut milk makes for a rich, luxurious soup, and the lemon provides just the right amount of tartness to leave your mouth feeling clean and your tastebuds tingling. 

It’s a lovely soup all year round, and you could easily make it a little more robust for these wintry days by adding some white beans after you’ve blitzed it nice and smooth.  Or top with some fried b*con pieces, or chunky croutons.

Or be like David, and drink it straight from a flask!

Recipe:

2 x brown onions

2 x carrots

2 x sticks of celery

3 x courgettes

1 tsp garlic paste

750ml boiling water

3tsp chicken flavour vegan boullion paste/ powder

1 x can full fat coconut milk

Salt & pepper

2 tsp all purpose seasoning (I used a Polish brand which I picked up from Lidl)

Lemon juice to taste

Flavourless oil

• Chop all the veggies nice and small
• Begin by frying the onions until they are soft and translucent, then add the celery and carrots
• Once all the veggies have softened add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes
• Add all the other ingredients to the pan except the coconut milk, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
• Add the stock, stir well and leave to cook on a simmer for at least 20 mins or until all the veggies are very soft.
• Add the coconut milk and all-purpose seasoning and bring back to a gentle boil – be careful you don’t go too fast or the milk may split.
• Liquidise the soup – a handheld stick blender is absolutely fine
• Taste and season with the salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Don’t be shy with the lemon juice!!

I hope you enjoy it!