Pea & mint soup with wand dippers

• vegetable oil↗2 tsp tsp
• onion↗1

  roughly chopped

• large potato↗1

  chopped

• garlic clove↗1

  finely grated or crushed

• vegetable stock↗1l l
• ready‑rolled puff pastry↗350g g
• cheddar↗75g g

  finely grated

• frozen peas↗750g g
• handful of mint leaves

  plus extra shredded leaves to garnish

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Pre‑heat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C fan/gas 6. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion for 6‑8 minutes until softened. Add the diced potato and garlic, cook for another couple of minutes, then pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for 12‑15 minutes until the potato is just tender.

2. 2

   While the soup is simmering, unroll the ready‑rolled puff pastry and cut out wand‑shaped strips by making slightly diagonal cuts so one end is thicker. Place the pastry wands on a parchment‑lined baking tray, sprinkle the grated cheddar over them and season with black pepper if desired. Bake for 10‑12 minutes until golden.

3. 3

   When the potatoes are just tender, add the frozen peas and mint leaves to the soup and cook for 5‑8 minutes until the peas are thawed and tender. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter the shredded mint leaves on top and serve with the cheesy pastry wands.