Watercress Soup

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

2 bunches watercress
3/4 lb potatoes
1 onion
2 pints chicken stock
1-1/2 oz butter
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic (optional)
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons of double cream or 1/2 cup milk

Garnish: nutmeg (optional)

1 - wash watercress and discard tough stalks/ yellow leaves

2 - Peel and thickly slice potatoes and onion.

3 - Put potatoes, onion, half the watercress, stock, butter, bay leaf and peeled garlic (if using) in a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.

4 - Bring soup to boil, cover pan and simmer until the potatoes and onion are quite soft.

5 - Remove bay leaf and liquidise soup (DH likes a few lumps in it - you may not!)

6 - Stir in cream or milk plus the other half of watercress chopped finely and heat soup without boiling.

Serve in heated bowls with crusty bread.

This is from Reader's Digest 'The Cookery Year' - 'tonsed' a la Beesknees ... tasty and good for you .... nice chilled as well as hot, with or without nutmeg to serve.