Pinhead Barley Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

Pinhead Barley
Onions
Fresh Garlic
Carrots
Courgettes
Celery

Soak the barley by putting it in a container or bowl and covering it with boiling hot water. Cover well and leave to soak for at least an hour. (The longer you leave it for the better, as this reduces the stodginess in the soup making it nice and light). If you cannot soak the barley before you can still make the soup but it will be more stodgy and will need top ups of water during cooking.



To make the soup:
Cut up all veg (I didn't have any courgettes in, so made it without)

Put veg in a pan bearing in mind you are going to be adding the barley and lots of water - allow for boiling space otherwise you will get a very dirty hob!

Drizzle some oil over veg and fry over for a few minutes on a medium flame. Drain the barley and add it to the veg. Fill the pot with water (preferably hot water) season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower flame and simmer. If you have pre soaked the barley, cook for one hour, if you havent, cook for two hours. During cooking time stir the soup occasionally. If you havent pre soaked barley it is possible the soup will need a top up of water during cooking.

Et Voila!