Cream of Cucumber Soup

• 2 large cucumbers
• 1 oz (25 g) butter

This soup can also be served cold, in which case it may need thinning down with a little extra stock. The colour is much improved by the addition of one or two drops of edible green colouring, just sufficient to bring out the palest green colour.

Peel the cucumbers, slice in half lengthways and remove the centre seeds. Slice the cucumber thinly, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes and