And this is what we had for our Sunday lunch: Swiss winter soup with cabbage and pearl barley

One of our friends made this soup for us a while ago. She adds bacon, but that is not really necessary to get a lovely warming soup.

For 3-4 as a light meal:
a little olive oil
a few leeks, trimmed and cut
a few carrots, cut into small pieces
a small head of savoy or january king cabbage
a ltr of vegetable stock (two cubes and water)
half a cup of pearl barley, washed
about half a pot of single cream
pepper

Saute the leek in the oil. Add the carrots, saute a bit more. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then throw in the pearl barley. Cook till almost done. Add the cabbage now (not overboiling it preserves colour and a nicer taste as well as less smell). When it is all done, pour in as much cream as you like. Season with plenty of freshly ground pepper. Very nice with sourdough bread.