Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• plus 1 tsp extra
• to serve
• ½ onion
• finely sliced
• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 garlic clove
• chopped
• 150ml/¼ pint vegetable stock
• 1 free-range egg

Directions

• Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook the onion until soft but not coloured.
• Cut the stalks from the watercress
• reserving the leaves
• and add to the pan with the garlic. Sauté the watercress and garlic for a further one minute.
• Add the stock to the pan
• bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat
• cool slightly and add the watercress leaves. Pour into a blender. Blend until smooth and strain through a sieve. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside to keep warm.
• For the poached egg
• bring a pan of salted water to the boil and gently swirl the water around the pan to make a whirlpool. Crack the egg into the middle of the whirlpool and reduce to a simmer for four minutes.
• Carefully lift the poached egg out of the water with a slotted spoon and float in the centre of the soup.
• To serve
• drizzle the soup with the extra one teaspoon of olive oil and serve immediately.