Our Allotment summer soup

Growing your own veg is one of the most rewarding things ever, It doesnt matter how small or big your space is there is always something you can grow. When I first started I had a tiny garden the size of a postage stamp but that did not put me off. I grew strawberries and tomatoes in hanging baskets, spring onions in pots and potatoes in rubble sacks. It was a great way to get the kids involved and got them eating veg. Now, hubby & I have moved to what we call our last house..... (maybe) and we're lucky enough to have a garden big enough for some raised beds which we put in this spring, and we have had some amazing veg off of it already. This next recipie is a great way of using a little bit of eveything off your plot. We used the following, but you can use whatever you have as this soup changes with the seasons.

SUMMER VEG SOUP We used:- 3 courgettes, 2 carrots, a few good hanfulls of black cabage, 1 small beetroot, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a good load of thyme and majoram, 2 bay leaves and mint to garnish.

Method: Chop everything roughly the same size, I like mine quite small but each to their own. Put the onion, carrots and garlic in a large pot with a good glug of oil, we used rapeseed, on a medium heat for 5 mins.

Then its so simple, just chuck everything into the pan, saving the softer things till the end, add your herbage then cover with a good quality veg stock, simmer just until the veg is cooked.

Ours took on the beautiful pink colour of the beetroot. season to taste and serve with some good chunky bread.