Pig in a Winter Garden Soup

Soup. I love the thought of it on a cold Winter's day, but the reality is that it rarely keeps me full for long. That's why I came up with this little beauty. It's tasty, nutritious, high in protein and did I mention it contains cheese AND bacon?

Here's what you'll need (Serves 6):

• 2 small red chillies, finely sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 300g bacon, chopped
• 3 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1-2 handfuls of brussel sprouts, halved
• 200g of mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tins of butter beans, rinsed
• 2L of vegetable stock
• Grated cheese

Fry the garlic, and chilli in some oil for about a minute. Add the Leek, bacon and mushrooms and cook until leek softens. Chuck in the rest of the vegetables, the butter beans and stock. Add water until liquid covers vegetables and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Blend soup (I used my newly acquired stick blender... Life changing!), pour into serving bowls and add a handful (more like 2) of grated cheese to soup before serving. Best eaten slurped.