January King Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Basil Oil

Cabbage soup – but not the farty stalwart of 1980s fad diets. Instead, this is cosy, creamy and thick with cannellini beans, brightened with a whack of lemon and glammed up with a generous fancy drizzle of basil oil.

Keep the basil oil for a few days to liven up salads, cheeses, meats and vegetables.

Serves 2.

For the basil oil, which will keep to drizzle over other things for about 3 days

• Small handful of basil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• About 100ml olive oil

1. Blitz everything together in a blender.

2. Add more salt, pepper or oil to taste.

Soup

• 1 tin of cannellini beans in their liquid

• ¼ January King cabbage, shredded into thin strips

• Juice and zest of ½ lemon

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small shallot or ½ onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 250ml chicken or vegetable stock

• Salt and pepper, to season

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the shallot over a low heat. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic and fry for a further minute.

2. Tip in the beans, lemon juice and stock and season. Simmer for ten minutes.

3. Remove about a third of the bean mixture.

4. Blitz the contents of the pan, then add the unblitzed third back in.

5. Add the January King strips and cook the soup, with a lid on, for a further five minutes.

6. Stir in half the lemon zest, add the rest on top of the soup and drizzle with the basil oil.