Bean & Vegetable Soup with Chorizo

A hearty, delicious soup that's perfect with some crusty bread and a glass of cheery red on a cold night in.

3 carrots, diced into small pieces
4 celery sticks, diced into small pieces
1 chorizo sausage, diced into small pieces
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 small mushrooms, sliced
6 potatoes, 3 of them chopped into medium pieces, the other halved.
2 cans of beans - we used a combo of butter beans, borlotti beans and cannellini beans
500ml stock - chicken or beef is fine but get the liquid packs instead of stock powder.
1 bay leaf
cream to taste.

Boil the 3 halved potatoes in a pot and get on with the rest of the recipe (when they're cooked you want to mash them and set aside).
Now fry the onions, garlic and chorizo over a medium heat in your largest pot until the onion is softened. Then add the carrots, celery and potato and fry for 10mins, stirring now and then with the lid off. After the 10mins is up, pour in the stock and add the mushrooms and bay leaf and bring to the boil the lower and simmer with the lid on until the vegies are done, about 25mins.
After this stir in the mashed potatoes until well combined into the liquid (this will make a creamy thick soup) and stir in the drained beans. Lastly turn off the heat and stir in a few tablespoons of cream to taste and seasoning too.