Chop all of the vegetables before starting to cook
Make up the stock with the boiling water and stockpot. Leave the make up stock to one side for now.
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan.
Cook the onions on a low/medium heat for about 10 minutes. Do not allow to brown.
After that add the celery and garlic and cook those for 7-10 minutes on a medium to low heat.
Following that, add all the remaining vegetables into the pot.
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and stir into the butter and cooked vegetables.
Pour the stock into the pot.
Cover and allow the soup to come to a boil.
Once it comes to a boil turn it down to a low medium heat and cook with the lid on until the vegetables are fork tender. Check the soup and stir it occasionally during this time.
Once the vegetable are nice and soft add the thyme and allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
Take the soup off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Then blend with a stick blender till smooth. If your soup is too thick add a little boiling water to loosen it a bit. See the video for the optimal consistency.
