Carrot and Sweetcorn Soup with Broad Beans

Peel the carrots and cut them in half lengthways.

Use a knife to remove the firm central core from the carrots and discard it.

Cut the remaining carrot flesh into medium-sized cubes.

Peel and finely chop the onion.

Heat the butter in a saucepan.

Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add the diced carrots to the onion.

Pour in the water and add the stock cube and thyme leaves. Simmer over a medium heat for 15–20 minutes, until the carrots are completely tender. Allow to cool slightly.

Blend the warm, but not hot, mixture until smooth and free of lumps.

Return the blended soup to the saucepan.

Toast the sweetcorn kernels in a separate dry frying pan for 2 minutes.

Add the toasted sweetcorn to the saucepan.

Thaw the broad beans by briefly boiling them in water. Remove the outer skin from each bean.

Add the peeled broad beans to the carrot and sweetcorn soup.

Simmer for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, then remove from the heat.

Wash the parsley, pick off the leaves and chop them finely.

Whip the unsweetened cream in a bowl until it forms soft peaks.

Ladle the soup into deep bowls and add a spoonful of whipped cream to each serving.

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.