ACTUALLY, I should call this soup Potage aux Quat' Saisons, as it was one of the recipes that Oxfordshire's Michelin-starred chef, Raymond Blanc, created in his demonstration kitchen during a themed Garden Day event.

I was lucky enough to be invited to meet his gardening experts, watch Raymond transform simple vegetables taken straight from the garden into the most delicious dishes, and then enjoy a lunch which featured more fresh vegetables.

I was so impressed with Raymond's soup, I cooked it up at the weekend, using fresh spring vegetables I'd purchased from a farmers' market.

As he says, first make the basic soup, then work out how to enhance it by adding either cream, extra virgin olive oil, or pesto, or by turning it into a purée, which changes its texture.

This is the basic soup recipe - how you enhance it is up to you. The amazing thing about this recipe is that it only takes about ten minutes to make and does not call for stock.

To feed four to six, you will need (listed in order of use): One tbspn unsalted butter One medium onion - finely chopped One clove garlic - finely chopped Two large carrots - finely chopped Two sticks celery - sliced like matchsticks Two medium leeks - sliced thin Sea salt and freshly-ground black peppercorns One litre boiling water One large courgette cut in half lengthways and sliced Two ripe tomatoes roughly chopped One tspn unsalted butter or sour cream One handful chervil - finely chopped Method: On a medium heat, soften the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and leeks in the butter for five minutes to extract maximum flavour Season with sea salt and freshly-ground black peppercorns Add the boiling water and the courgette (by adding boiling water rather than cold, you reduce the cooking time and the vegetables retain their vibrant colours) Fast-boil for a further three minutes Add the chopped tomatoes, whisk in the butter or sour cream, or both, and add the chervil Taste and correct the seasoning, and serve.

Note: Try experimenting with different vegetables and do try adding a tablespoon of pesto if you want to change the flavour - the result is mouthwatering.