Chilled pea, mint and cucumber soup

It's hot hot hot here so this chilled pea, cucumber and mint soup went down very well as a first course this evening - see recipe below if you fancy trying it.

Recipe for Mas de Flory Chilled Pea, Cucumber and Mint Soup

Serves 4-6

3 spring onions (scallions)
1 clove of garlic
250 g frozen petits pois
400 ml light chicken stock
½ cucumber
Bunch of fresh mint, chives, parsley
200 ml creamy natural yogurt
Olive oil, butter
Salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon juice

Soften the finely chopped spring onions and garlic in the olive oil and butter for 5 mins.
Add the frozen peas and heat through
Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes then set aside to cool.
Blitz the soup with the chopped cucumber and fresh herbs in a liquidizer.
Add the natural yogurt and blitz briefly again.
Taste and season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Chill for at least 2 – 3 hours.

To serve, blitz soup again with several ice cubes.
Serve with parmesan croutons and a swirl of natural yogurt.

Parmesan croutons:
Mix small cubes of day old bread with a large spoonful of grated parmesan cheese and 2 tblspns of olive oil. Cook at 200 deg C for 10 mins until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.