‘Dust with paprika before serving to give the soup a warm and colourful appeal.’    

If you are on a tight budget and you want to add a filling nourishing soup to your menu, this one is both cheap and cheerful. With just three ingredients – peas, onions and vegetable stock – this soup is great value for money. I serve this to friends and family on cold evening or for a satisfying lunch-time filler. It’s cheap, easy and delicious.

Serves 4

• 2 cups of dried green split peas
• 2 onions
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon
• 5 cups of boiling water

Directions

1.  Soak the dried peas in cold water for about an hour to soften them. Drain off the soak water.

2.  Melt the stock in the boiling water and pour over the peas. Peel the onions, cut into slices and add to the peas and stock.

3.  Bring to a gentle simmer.

4.  Cover and cook for a further 20 minutes until all the peas and onions are tender.

5.  Blend the soup until smooth, adding more stock if the soup is too thick