What is more comforting than a steaming bowl of soup, brimming with goodness and vitality, filled with strengthening root vegetables and leafy greens. This is the perfect winter soup, it will buck you up and warm you through. It's also very accommodating as this is more an outline than a strict recipe. Pick your favorite veggies, almost anything that needs using up will do. I love the robust flavors of rosemary and sage in this, but parsley and oregano is good too. Ingredients: 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1-2 leeks and/or 3-4 stalks of celery, diced 2-3 carrots, diced 2-3 cloves of garlic, mashed Fresh herbs of your choice, finely chopped Salt and pepper 2, 14oz cans of organic cannellini beans 2 medium potatoes and/or sweet potatoes chopped (skins left on the white potatoes) 4-6 cups of organic chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your soup) 1 tablespoon of tomato puree 1 small - medium bunch of leafy greens, finely chopped (such as kale or swiss chard) Parmesan cheese for sprinkling 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce (optional) store bought or homemade Method

In a good size stock pot or dutch oven saute the onion, leeks, celery and carrot on a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft but not browned, add the garlic and saute for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and give them a toss around. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Add the chopped potatoes, then pour in the chicken stock, add 1 tablespoon of tomato puree and stir gently. Bring the soup to a boil and turn down to a simmer for approx 15 minutes or until the potatoes start feeling cooked. Add the chopped greens and cook for a further 10 minutes. Just before serving, I often add 1 or 2 tablespoons of pesto to the soup for an extra lift. Check for seasonings and serve with some crusty wholewheat bread, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Anyone have any favorite soups??