MAY sees us midway through spring and heralds the arrival of some of the more tender produce like watercress. As a member of the mustard family this British crop has a characteristically punchy flavour and adds a peppery quality to a rather dull green salad.

Popular with the Romans and consumed in large quantities throughout World War Two, watercress is thought to be high in vitamin C, calcium, iron and folic acid. It is at its best from April to June so now is the perfect time to pop down to your local market and pick up a bunch.

Combined with spring onions and the ever reliable frozen pea, watercress delivers a satisfying and healthy soup on a wet and windy spring day. This recipe is also incredibly quick and simple to make.

Ingredients

A bunch of new season spring onions

250g bunch of watercress

One tbsp vegetable bouillon

100g of frozen peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Crème fraiche to serve

Method

Prepare the spring onions and cut into inch long pieces, including the dark green sections. Sweat in a little butter until soft and translucent.

Pour 300ml of water over the onions, adding the vegetable bouillon and then the frozen peas. Stir well before bringing back to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Rinse and pick over the watercress, removing any debris and old stalks. Toss into the pan with your stock and peas before stirring again. Bring back to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Use a hand blender to roughly blend the soup. I like to leave a little texture but you can whiz to a smooth consistency if this is what you prefer. Add a little more boiling water if the texture is too thick and return to the heat to warm through.

Taste your soup and season with salt and pepper as required. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and crusty white bread.

- Claire Davies is a York food writer with a passion for seasonal ingredients and historic recipes. Her blog, The Greedy Wordsmith, can be found here.