Country Chicken & vegetable soup

1medium free range chicken

3 medium carrots

2 celery sticks

2 large white onions

2 bay leaves

5 black peppercorns

A bunch of parsley

1 leek

1 minced garlic clove

1 medium potato peeled cubed

Olive oil

Crème fraiche

1/2 lemon for squeezing

Salt pepper

Roughly chop 2 carrots halve 1 onion (skin on ) roughly slice I celery stick and place in a pan with the peppercorns the bay leaves a few sprigs of parsley and the chicken cover with water bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins or until the meat falls from the bone.

Remove the chicken strip the carcass and return the bones to the stick and simmer a further 1/2 hr. Cool and strain.

In a heavy saucepan add a little olive oil then fry the remaining finely chopped onion finely chopped carrot chopped celery leek and garlic til translucent. Add the diced potato and fry then pour in the strained stock and simmer til the potatoes are softened. Remove 1/4 of the soup and blitz smooth then return to the soup along with a generous amount of the cooked shredded chicken ( save the rest for chicken pie!) and simmer a further 4 mins. Season generously add a squeeze of lemon taste and adjust seasoning if necessary . Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche and lots of freshly chopped parsley ..