"I have tweaked this old, Turkish-style favourite over the years, but the original belongs to the food writer and owner of the Ginger and White cafes, Tonia George. It makes a soothing, unusual and exceptionally delicious soup. Finish it with a poached egg if you are very hungry. Pot barley has a nicer chew than the more common pearl barley, so do try to get hold of it; you will find it in health food shops."

Serves 4 generously

– 50g salted butter

– 1 brown onion, finely chopped

– 3 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

– 2 tsp cumin seeds

– 2 green chillies, halved, deseeded if you prefer, finely chopped

– 1 tbsp plain flour

– 100g pot barley

– 1.3 litres vegetable stock

– ½ cinnamon stick

– 75g brown lentils

– 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

– 100g baby spinach

– 200g Greek yogurt (not low fat)

– juice of 1 lemon

– sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

– 4 very fresh eggs (optional)

– ½ garlic clove, crushed

– ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

– pinch of chilli flakes

– 1 tsp dried mint

Method

In a large saucepan or casserole set over a low heat, melt half the butter and add the onion, leeks, cumin seeds and chillies. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft.

Add the flour and pot barley; stirring for 1 minute to cook out the flour.

Stir in the stock and cinnamon stick and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the lentils and chickpeas and simmer for 20 minutes more, until the lentils are cooked and the barley is just tender, but still has a bite. Stir in the spinach, remove from the heat and fish out the cinnamon stick.

If you will be including the poached eggs, half-fill a deep frying pan with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt and half the lemon juice with a ladleful of hot liquid from the soup pan. Stir this mixture back into the soup off the heat, then return it to a low flame. Stir gently for a couple of minutes; do not let it boil at any point or the soup will curdle. Taste and adjust the salt or pepper as you wish, remembering the butter added at the end will be quite salty.

Crack the eggs into the simmering water, spacing them out well. Poach very gently for 2½–3 minutes; the water should have barely a blip reaching its surface. Remove to a kitchen paper-lined plate with a slotted spoon.

Melt the remaining butter in a small pan until foaming. Add the remaining lemon juice, the garlic, paprika, chilli flakes and mint, and cook until the butter turns a pale amber and smells nutty. Remove from the heat. Spoon most of the hot butter over the soup, then divide between warmed bowls, topping each with a poached egg, if using, and the rest of the butter.

Three delicious veggie meals you need in your recipe arsenal, now