You Will Need

* 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 2 Tbsp butter
* 1 medium white onion, diced
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 3 bacon rashers, chopped
* 2 carrots, peeled and diced
* 2 celery stalks, sliced
* 16 oz whole peas
* 3 1⁄8 pt vegetable stock
* 24 ½ oz frozen peas
* salt to taste
* crème fraiche to serve
* 1 large saucepan with a lid
* 1 wooden spoon
* 1 hand blender
* 1 strainer
* 1 bowl
* 1 liquidizer or food processor
* 1 ladle
* 1 medium bowl

Step 1:
Thaw the frozen peas
Put the frozen peas into a medium-sized bowl to let them thaw naturally while you make the base of the soup.
Step 2:
Heat the oil and butter
Pour the olive oil into the saucepan and add the butter. Place the pan over a low temperature to heat.
Step 3:
Add the vegetables and the bacon
When the butter has melted, add the onions, garlic, bacon, carrots and celery. Stir the ingredients together well and leave them to sweat for about 10 minutes.
Step 4:
Add the peas and stock
When the onions are more or less translucent stir in the peas and then continue stirring as you pour in the stock.
Step 5:
Leave to cook
Cover the pan and leave the soup to cook for 35 minutes.
Step 6:
Slightly blend the soup
35 minutes later when the soup is well-cooked blend it slightly. Take the hand blender and buzz it briefly four to five times in different parts of the pan.
Step 7:
Pass through a strainer
Pass the soup through a strainer into a large bowl pressing as much out as possible.
Step 8:
Liquidize in batches
Now pour the soup into a liquidizer, add the peas and liquidize into a purée. When finished, pour this into a separate bowl.
Step 9:
Season with salt
Season with some salt to taste.
Step 10:
Serve and garnish with crème fraiche
The pea soup is ready to serve. Ladle it into the soup bowls and pop a spoon of crème fraiche on top to garnish.