(Serves 6)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 leeks, white part only or fresh mild onions
250g potatoes
300ml chicken stock
1 green pepper
1 cucumber
1 ripe Honeydew or Gallia melon
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
About 500ml water
Gozo sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
Sliced, or diced, strawberries
Diced melon
Flaked, or slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Small cubes of bread, dried, toasted, or fried

Put half of the olive oil in a saucepan. Slice the leeks, or onion and peel and dice the potatoes. Fry gently in the olive oil until the leeks are wilted. Add the stock, and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, cut the pepper into quarters, remove the seeds, and blanch in boiling water for one to two minutes. Roughly chop the pepper and cucumber, and put into a blender with the rest of the olive oil. Add the cooked vegetables and stock, and blend until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl, or jug, sieving, if you wish. Cut the melon in half, and discard the seeds, but take care to retain as much juice as possible. Blend until smooth. Stir it into the vegetable mixture, and add more water to taste. Season and chill the soup until required, but not for more than a couple of hours, as it loses its freshness. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning, and hand the garnish around separately.