Fruit and veg

Those of you with vegetable patches might be interested in this useful recipe for runner bean soup, which I have just tried and which is a very tasty way to use up all those slightly overgrown stringy green beans that hide behind leaves at the top of the plant.

• Lots of runner beans
• A couple of onions
• Some olive oil
• Some stock
• Fresh mint
• Salt & pepper

Cut the tops and tails off the beans, strip the stringy bits at the sides with a potato peeler, then cut them into little bits. Chop and sauté the onion in the olive oil. Add the beans and stock. Boil till they’re soft. Turn off the heat. Add a handful of mint and salt and pepper to taste. Wazz with a blender. Job done.

If you’ve got a veg garden you’ll know that you’ll end up with tons of something that just has to be eaten, and this recipe is a useful addition to the veg glut armoury. Much more tasty than rhubarb & spinach curry (not a success), but less tasty than mixed berry ice cream.