Soups & Starters
Soups & Starters
Cucumber and mint soup
A delicious chilled soup that makes the perfect start to a special meal
First of all, welcome to my new website if this is the first post you’ve received from it! I’ve been writing a blog for the past two years, but the time has come to turn it into an all-singing, all-dancing webiste that also includes separate space for a garden blog… and a page for my new Bed & Breakfast venture (more on that in a future post).
Anyway, all the recipes from the blog have now been transferred over to this new website (thanks to Louis Carnell, my friend Sophie’s son, for the huge amount of work involved in doing that), and I’ll now be posting new recipes here roughly once a week as before.
So, this week’s recipe came about because tomorrow my parents and my sister are coming over for lunch to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. We’re having fish for the main course but before that I wanted to serve something small, light and fresh to start off the meal. As I’ve had a huge quantity of cucumbers from the polytunnel at my allotment this summer, a chilled cucumber soup fits the bill perfectly, especially as warm, sunny days seem to have made a brief reappearance here in East Sussex in England.
The soup is really easy to make, super-delicious and can be served either in normal-sized soup bowls or in little espresso cups as I’ve done - I think a small ‘taster’ starter like this makes a meal feel special without filling everyone up too much, especially when it’s lunch rather than dinner.
Do keep in touch and let me know what you think when you try any of the recipes from this new website - I’m at [email protected].
Ingredients
Serves 4-8
- 3 cucumbers, cut into chunks
- 2 ripe avocados, chopped
- small bunch of mint, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson's Relish, if vegetarian)
- 2 tbsp yogurt or creme fraiche
- 1 tbsp chopped dill or chives
Method
Put the cucumbers, avocados, most of the mint (reserve a few leaves for decoration), and 1 tbsp lemon juice into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Season well, then taste the soup and add the Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's Relish (and the remaining lemon juice if needed).
Chill in the fridge for at least a few hours (or up to a 24 hours), then mix the yogurt or creme fraiche with the dill or chives and swirl a little into each bowl or cup just before serving.
A Cook's Plot Tip
The recipe makes enough to serve 4 in soup bowls, or 8 in espresso cups or similar. It's getting a bit late in the year for homegrown fresh dill, but Waitrose sell it in little packs in their freezer aisles. Chopped chives work well too.