It happens every summer. The lettuce all starts to bolt at once and always just as we are about to go away. Having grown five types of salad lovingly from seed, I’m damned if it’s going to waste. Bingo! I remembered that a good lettuce soup is perfect on a summer’s day and very nutritious. For good measure I bunged in everything else I had to hand – parsley, dill, rocket etc. makes it even more tangy. All these measurement are approximate and not vital to adhere to. I picked all my leaves and added 1.5 potatoes and about a litre of stock. This is just a guideline

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil (any cooking oil will do)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 250g/9oz lettuce and other leaves, trimmed, washed and thickly sliced
• 400g/14oz potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks
• 800ml/1⅓ pint chicken or vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 5–6 minutes, or until softened and beginning to brown, stirring regularly.
• Add the lettuce and potatoes and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover loosely with a lid and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally. 
• Remove the pan from the heat and blitz using a stick blender until smooth. If the soup is a little thick, add a splash of just-boiled water. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. 
• Leave it to cool or ladle into hot bowls. Can be enhanced by cream if you like that sort of thing and some fresh chopped chives