• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 × 400g (14oz) tin of white beans (butter, cannellini or haricot work well), drained and rinsed
• About 1 litre (35fl oz) vegetable stock
• 1 bunch of rainbow chard
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• To serve (optional)
• Thick slices of sourdough, toasted
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove

Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the celery, onion, leek, garlic, rosemary and bay and season with salt and pepper. Stir the vegetables with a wooden spoon and sweat for 10–12 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the beans, then stir well and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Pour over the stock, bring to the simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, rinse the chard. If the stalks are fleshy and thick, strip the leaves from them and cut up the stalks thinly. After 15–20 minutes’ simmering time, add them to the pan, then roughly chop the leaves and add those 4–5 minutes later. If the stalks are relatively thin, you can chop them and the leaves and add both to the soup at the same time.

Simmer the soup for a further 8–10 minutes, until the chard is lovely and tender. Then, add all the chopped herbs, the squeeze of lemon, and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Stir and turn off the heat.

If you’re serving with sourdough toast, trickle the hot toast with a little olive oil, rub with a little garlic and season lightly with flaky sea salt.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls, season with pepper, then add the toast and trickle generously with oil.