This soup is a meal in itself,and is in response to Shells wish to prepare a meal for her friends on vacation. Now I would not dream of trying to tell ladies how to make vegetable soup! Where this is different is in the addition of a pommade at the end.So using what veg is available,the important ingredients in this soup are four different beans.I use Courgettes,trimmed and sliced ,not peeled ,leeks,tomatoes,onions carrots,broad beans,runner beans,french beans and flageolot beans,cut veg in 1 inch pieces,this is a chunky soup ,for six people about 2 litres of water and salt. cook until veg.is tender.

Cook 4oz. broken macaroni in salted water till half cooked ,drain and add to the soup 10 mins before serving.

Pommade.

Wash 1 oz. basil,dry and pick leaves from the stalks.Peel 4 cloves of garlic and pound in a mortar,adding basil leaves a few at a time untilyou have a paste. Add 5 oz grated gruyere cheesegradually and pound until you have a thick soft mixture.Now beat in 4 tablespoons of olive oil drop by drop,as you would for mayonnaise,until the pommade resembles a thick cream.

To serve; bring soup to boiling point and remove pan from stove .Take a ladleful of soup and add to the pommade,stirring continually with a whisk,add a little more and when incorporated return this mixture gradually to the pan.DO THIS CAREFULLY. or it will curdle. Mix well and ladle onto hot soup plates.sprinkle on more gruyere cheese to taste. and serve with crusty french bread,crisped for 5 mins. in hot oven. Bon appetit.

Goes down well with crisp white wine or Normandy Cider

Not over here my love, French Beans are also known as Haricots Verts and are different from runner beans in which you are going to use the whole bean pod and all.verts you shell. If you intend to try it, you can buy them dried or canned

shelly, Sorry if I have confused you.,but Im sure if you make a chunky soup using those veg available,improvise with those you cannot get.You are so right its the Pommade that makes it.Get that cracked and Richard is your relative. Having found that you are the "Galette Girl",you're my favourite!!