Leek and Cannellini Bean Soup

This is a light, simple and tasty soup, perfect for the spring weather (which has unfortunately yet to arrive in the UK yet). It's a relatively hassle free recipe which takes very little effort. This is another Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe which I've adjusted slightly - he used fresh herbs but I substituted dried, and he also suggested using chilli oil, but since I didn't have any, I just used olive oil instead.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 leeks
4 cloves of garlic
2 x 400g tin cannellini beans
1400 ml vegetable stock
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil (to serve) - Chilli oil can also be used if desired.

1. Slice leeks lengthways, wash, and slice finely. Slice garlic finely, and fry the leeks and garlic with the thyme and bay leaf in butter/oil on a low heat for around 10 minutes until the leeks have softened.

2. Add the stock, cannellini beans, oregano, and parsley and simmer gently for 10 minutes until cooked through.

3. Season with salt and pepper, and remove the bay leaf before serving with a dash of olive oil.