For a simple summertime meal try our recipe for mint and pea soup. This is definitely one of the easiest recipes we have featured, with minimal effort required you can barely call this cooking.

Although peas are predominantly freshest in May, they are of course readily available, frozen throughout the year. We always have a packed of them on standby in the freezer. In fact, in addition to the handful of store cupboard ingredients, the only item you may have to buy specifically for this recipe is the fresh mint.

The recipe makes enough for 2 people. We served ours with some wholegrain bagels that had been topped with feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and grilled for 5 minutes for a bit of colour – posh cheese on toast, but the saltiness of feta really does contrast well with the freshness of the soup, so it’s worth using.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 300g frozen peas
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 25g fresh mint – chopped
• Olive oil

Recipe:

1. Finely chop the onion, add to a medium-sized saucepan with 2 tbsp on olive oil. Fry gently until translucent.
2. Add the frozen peas, and cook for another couple of minutes until they defrost. Then add half the chopped, fresh mint and the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, pop the lid on and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the remaining fresh mint, and puree with a hand blender. You may want to cover the saucepan with a tea towel as you’re blending to stop stray green soup squirting up on you.
4. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with toasted bread topped with feta.