Serves 4 2 large cucumbers, about 400g each, Chilled juice of 1 lemon, or to taste 2 ripe avocados 2 tbsp Greek yogurt 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Sea salt and black pepper 1/2 red onion, finely chopped 1 plum tomato, deseeded and finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 3–4 basil leaves, finely shredded
Gordon’s Advice: “Use really ripe avocados to give this soup a rich green colour. If you want to take it a step further, add some cooked lobster or flaky crabmeat, or perhaps one or two Dublin Bay prawns, to the garnish. The perfect cooling starter, this soup can also be served as a light summer lunch with a crusty baguette.” Peel the cucumbers, quarter lengthways and remove the seeds. Dice a quarter and set aside for the garnish. Roughly chop the rest, place in a blender with half the lemon juice and whiz until smooth. Halve, stone and peel the avocados. Finely chop one avocado half to use for the garnish. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and set aside with the diced cucumber. Tip the rest of the avocados into the blender. Blend the avocados with the puréed cucumber, Greek yogurt and Worcestershire sauce until very smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper, and add lemon juice to taste. Chill until ready to serve. For the garnish, combine the diced cucumber and avocado with the red onion and tomato. Toss with the olive oil and shredded basil. Taste the chilled soup for seasoning and add a splash of cold water if it is too thick. Pour into four chilled bowls and spoon the garnish into the centre. Add a drizzle of olive oil and grind over a little pepper to serve.