1. Bring a large pan of salted water to
boiling then add the dried pasta and cook
for 8–10 minutes until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, wash the watercress and
trim the ends of the stalks, pat dry on
kitchen paper then put into a food
processor with the garlic and whiz until
finely chopped.

3. Add the nuts and process briefly until
they are chopped. Add the cheddar cheese
and whilst the processor is running slowly
add the oil.

4. Drain the pasta, retaining 2-3 tablespoons
of the cooking water. Place back in
the pan, add the pesto with a little of the
water to loosen it up and toss together

5. Serve with extra cheese crumbled
on top.

Variation: halve some cherry tomatoes,
place on a foil lined grill pan and drizzle
with oil, season then cook under a hot grill
for 5 minutes. Toss through the pesto
coated pasta before serving.