Black- Bean soup

2 cups dried black beans

Ham bone with meat, or ham hock

2 medium onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

4 to 5 sprigs parsley

3 whole cloves

Pinch mace or allspice

Pinch thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 dessertspoon Worcester sauce

½ cup sherry

2 eggs, hard-boiled

Lemon

Soak beans overnight in enough cold water to cover. Drain; add 3 pints water, ham bone, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, cloves, mace, thyme, bay leaves, dry mustard, and Worcester sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours or until beans are very tender. Remove ham and bone, cutting any meat into small pieces. Work soup through a sieve or blend in an electric blender. Add diced ham and sherry and season to taste. If soup is too thick (it should look like double cream), stir in a little water. Reheat and serve with sliced hard- boiled eggs and thin lemon slices on top. Serves 6.