Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi Soup with Rocket Pesto

Finely chop the onion, mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a medium sized pot. Add the black pepper and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute before adding the mushrooms. Season with salt and turn the heat up slightly. Cook for 8-10 mins until fragrant and soft, then add the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate fully.

Pour in the soya cream and water and add the stock cube. Drop in the thyme sprigs and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the wholegrain mustard, then remove 2-3 ladles of the soup and place in a blender. Blend until smooth and then return it to the pot.

Add the gnocchi and cook for another 5 mins or until the gnocchi has softened. Remove the thyme and discard. Add the vegan cream cheese, if using, and stir to melt through.

To make the pesto, finely chop the rocket and parsley and add to a small bowl or pestle and mortar. Add the toasted sunflower seeds, zest and juice of the lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to achieve a drizzly consistency (about a tbsp per portion). Taste and adjust the seasonings and lightly crush the sunflower seeds if you like.

To serve, divide the soup into bowls and spoon over the pesto generously. Finish with some black pepper and some extra lemon zest.