Step 1

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for an extra minute until fragrant.

Step 2

Add carrots, potatoes, celery, herbs, salt and pepper to the pot. Give a good stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes to enhance their flavor.

Step 3

Stir in the broth, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Step 4

Turn the heat off, and let it cool slightly.

Step 5

Transfer approximately 1 cup of the soup to a stand blender and whizz just until smooth. Be careful because it's still hot, and make sure you don't over blend. This way you get a creamier soup, but you can use a hand blender instead, or you can skip this step if you wish.

Step 6

Return the blended soup to the soup, toss well to combine and taste to adjust the seasoning to your taste. It depends on the broth you used, you might need to adjust the salt. Stir in the parsley.

Step 7

Serve with freshly ground black pepper, extra parsley, and crusty bread.