The weather is continuing to treat us and, judging from the past week, most of the country is subsisting on cider, sunshine and barbecued meat alone. Last weekend, I was in deepest darkest Norfolk for a wedding. On our ‘day off’ we zipped along the country roads, the lanes thick with rolling sea mist and our minds thick with the previous day’s booze, between picturesque villages and shingle beaches in search of crabs and chilled rosé. I returned to London with my tummy full of seafood and my bag brimming with goodies – crimson beetroot-cured salmon and fresh samphire, still crisp and plump and muddy, plucked straight from the salty marshes of North Norfolk, both courtesy of the Cley Smokehouse. What a treat!

Last night we tucked into (the remainder of) our Norfolk comestibles, washed down with a bowl of cool watercress soup. Watercress is a seriously super superfood – jam-packed with vitamins A, C and E, calcium and iron, there are even studies that show watercress helps to suppress the development of cancerous cells…seconds for me please!

This classic soup is light and bright and fresh enough for a summer dish and yet has a lovely creamy texture to it – health benefits aside, it is undeniably delicious (and you can’t beat a home-cooked soup to secretly feed people their 5-a-day…).

Watercress soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

– large knob butter
– 1/2 white onion, diced
– 200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
– 1 garlic clove, sliced
– 550ml boiling water
– 250g watercress
– pinch nutmeg
– seasoning
– 80ml (half fat) creme fraiche

Method:

In a large pan over a medium heat, sweat the onion in the butter for about 5 mins until soft. Add the potato, garlic and water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about 10 mins, until the potatoes are soft.

Stir in the watercress, cover and wilt for about a minute. Take off the heat and blitz in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Swirl in the creme fraiche and serve hot or cold, with crusty bread.

If you had a superpower, what would yours be?

 

Source: Recipe and photos by pip & little blue.