It’s soup time, yipeeee! One bonus of it getting colder and darker is that it makes soup suddenly seem like a brilliant thing, which of course it is! I’ve already started cooking up a huge vats of lovely fresh soup and am very much looking forward to more to come.

It really is so easy to make and far, far tastier than the gloopy gunk that comes in tins. Years ago when I was working I used to eat tinned soup quite often and Marzena, a Polish girl who came to work with us was astounded that you could actually buy soup in tins. “Soup comes in tins?… Really?… I can’t believe it…. but why?”. At the time I thought she was bonkers, now I feel exactly the same (about the soup/tin thing, not her being bonkers. Although actually she is a bit).

Most simple soups follow the same basic idea, cook your onions off in a a little oil, or butter (nicer), add the chopped vegetables, cover to sweat for ten minutes or so, then cover with stock and leave to simmer until all veg are soft and then blitz it, maybe add a bit of cream. Lovely jubbly.

While I’m on my soup frenzy I’ll put the recipe up for anything I make that turns out to be of particular yumminess, starting with these two, sweetcorn chowder and onion soup. Sweetcorn chowder was given 9 out of 10 no less. A pretty impressive score as the critic has said he never gives a ten.

Sweetcorn Chowder

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, sliced
• 8oz of potatoes, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 small cubes
• 1 large carrot, small cubes (1/2 cm or so)
• 1 x 340g tin sweetcorn
• 1 red chili, finely chopped (or to taste)
• 1 1/4 pints of water
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 1 green pepper finely chopped
• 75ml double cream
• S+P

• fresh coriander to garnish

1. Heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic over a low heat until golden (approx 15 mins).
2. Add the celery, half the carrot, the chopped potatoes,  half the sweetcorn, the chili, cook for two minutes then add the water and bring to boil.
3. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, then zuzz.
4. Add the chopped peppers, cubed carrot, potatoes and the rest of the sweetcorn. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
5. Stir in the double cream, add seasoning and serve garnished with chopped coriander.

Onion Soup

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 700g red onions, finely sliced
• 400g shallots, finely sliced
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp mustard
• 2 pints veg stock
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp greek yoghurt
• S+P

• grated cheddar to garnish

1. Heat the oil and gently fry the red onions and shallots over a really low heat for about 40 minutes until golden and caramelised. Do not cook too quickly, or let burn. The sweetness will come out better the as these turn golden after slow cooking.
2. Stir in the flour and mustard and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the stock and thyme.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Pick out the thyme and allow to cool just a little before adding the yoghurt and seasoning.
4. Serve with a little cheddar grated over.