I absolutely love making soups, it feels so satisfying to throw a few ingredients into a pot, let them simmer away and then whizz it all up to make a healthy, delicious and heart-warming dish for the family.

Because they are so easy, I make myself believe I have a real talent for making soups! I am the Queen of soup making! (ahem)

Mr S doesn’t disagree, so we’ll keep it a secret between you, me and the fence post that we can all make soups with our eyes closed.

Here is a recipe for one of our family favorites – Carrot and Coriander Soup.

Ingredients

Serves: 3 as a lunch, or 4 as a light starter to a main meal

2 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.

2. Add the carrots and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.

3. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

4. Stir in the coriander and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Cool slightly, then transfer the mixture to a food processor (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth, or to the consitency you like if you prefer your soups with texture.

6. Serve at once with warm crusty bread.

Enjoy!

This soup is suitable for freezing if dispensed into an appropriate container.
I like to freeze batches and take them to work to heat up from frozen in the microwave as a healthier alternative to canteen meals.

More great soup recipes can be found in this book

This is the first recipe I have ever published on the internet, so let me know if you’d prefer step-by-step instructions in pictures, or if there is anything else you’d like me to include in the recipe details.