"I love this soup. It tastes like a bit of Spring in the middle of winter. I have one quibble and one not about the recipe.

First, the quibble: you do not need to use freshly made pesto. Nigella's site specifies that you should use pesto from a tub rather than a jar. Tubbed pesto is kept under refrigeration in stores, and it does taste better than shelf-stable jarred pesto. Several of the tubbed brands taste great.

Second, the note: I tried to make this more flavorful by using stock instead of water. Don't do that! The water really highlights the sweet taste of the peas and the nuttiness of the pesto. It is much, much better with water.