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These green split peas, which you can get at health-food shops, make a pleasant change from the more usual yellow ones, or indeed from the colour of most dried beans, and they taste good too. As it’s a winter soup, I use dried herbs here; both marjoram and savory are useful to have in the store cupboard for adding depth of flavour, particularly to pulses.

SERVES 4

175g (6oz) green split peas

1.2 litres (2 pints) water

1 onion, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 sticks of celery, chopped

2 small leeks, sliced

½ tsp dried savory or marjoram

salt and freshly ground black pepper

garlic butter, to serve (optional)

Put the split peas into a large saucepan with the water, all the vegetables and the savory or marjoram and bring to the boil.

Simmer gently until the split peas are tender – about 50 minutes. This soup can be served as it is, with chunky pieces of vegetables in it, or blended until completely smooth, or part-blended, the choice is yours. If necessary, add a little more water to bring it to the consistency you like.

Season with salt and pepper, reheat and serve in warmed bowls, topped with a piece of garlic butter (a little softened butter mashed with a crushed garlic clove) for extra flavour. Or you could go the whole hog and serve it with crisp, buttery garlic bread.