Farmhouse Vegetable Soup

Farmhouse Vegetable
This is a lovely hearty vegetarian soup, but if you would like to make it meaty, then just use some chicken stock and add some leftover cooked chicken to the soup 10 minutes before serving.

~ Serves 4

100g pearl barley
500g carrots, peeled & cut into half moons
2 large potatoes, peeled & cut into small chunks
3 leeks, sliced
2 sticks celery,sliced
1.5 litres vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
few stalks parsley & small bunch thyme.

In a bowl add the pearl barley, cover with boiling water and leave to soak.
Place the vegetables into a large pan and add the stock. Tie together the parsley, thyme stalks and bay leaf and add to the soup. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 15 mins until vegetables are tender.

In a blender or processor, puree about half of the soup till smooth, then return to pan and add the soaked pearl barley. Bring back to the boil and cook for a further 10 mins. Strip the leaves from the thyme and stir into the soup, discard the bay leaf. Season to taste before serving.

Making a Stock