Preparation

• 1
  1. Take off any easily removed meat from the turkey bones, chop into small pieces and reserve in the fridge, along with any other scraps of leftover turkey meat. [You may want to keep some of the larger pieces for sandwiches or salads if you have plenty.] Place the bones into a large saucepan and add 2.5 litres of cold water.
• 2
  If using a whole carcass, cut into pieces so that the water covers it.
• 3
  2. Wash and roughly chop the carrot and celery, peel and quarter the onion and take off the outer leaves of 2 leeks, then put them all in the saucepan. Add a sprinkling of black peppercorns and a few bay leaves then bring to the boil. Skim off any scum from the top of the pan and simmer, skimming occasionally, for about 90 minutes.
• 4
  3. Lift out the bones and discard them after taking off the meat. Pour the stock through a sieve into a bowl and discard everything except the meat. Leave the strained stock to cool for a while, then skim off any fat from the top.
• 5
  4. Peel and thinly slice the carrots and onions. Wash and thinly slice the celery and the leeks. Sauté the vegetables gently in a tablespoon of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large saucepan for 5-10 minutes.
• 6
  5. Dissolve 2 chicken stock cubes in a litre of hot water and add it to the pan, along with the homemade stock. Add the reserved pieces of turkey, season well with salt and lots of black pepper and simmer for 40 minutes.
• 7
  6. Trim and halve the green beans, chop the parsley and add to the soup. Cook for a further 5 minutes then check the seasoning before serving.
• 8
  We love to eat bowls of this soup with slices of freshly baked white bread to tear up and dip in!