SOUPS

There is nothing like wonderful homemade soup to warm the heart.

All my soups are made with fresh ingredients and most are gluten free or a gluten free alternative can be easily substituted.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp vegetable oil or 1/2 oil, 1/2 butter

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

900g (2lb) organic carrots, peeled and chopped

1 heaped tbsp caraway seeds

175ml (6fl oz) dry sherry

1.2 litres (40fl oz) vegetable stock

sea salt and pepper to taste freshly chopped parsley and roasted caraway seeds to garnish

METHOD

1 Heat the oil (or melt butter & oil) in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sauté gently.

2 Add the carrots, caraway seeds, and sherry. Place a piece of damp greaseproof paper between the pot and lid and let these ingredients sweat for a good hour on the lowest heat. Stir occasionally.

3 Add your vegetable stock and cook for another half-hour.

4 Once the carrots are tender, use your hand blender and blend the soup until you have a nice smooth consistency. Add a little more stock if the soup appears to be too thick.

5 Season to taste then garnish with roasted caraway seeds and freshly chopped parsley. Serve with some warm crusty bread.

CARROT & CARAWAY

Try and use fresh local farm-grown organic
carrots when possible. They are deliciously sweet and make a huge difference to flavour.

SERVES 6
MINUTES 90
DIFFICULTY 3/10

POTATO & LEEK

I prefer not to purée this soup so I use a good quality waxy potato – you want a potato that holds its shape and doesn’t fall apart while cooking.

SERVES 6
MINUTES 50
DIFFICULTY 1/10

INGREDIENTS

75g (3oz) butter (grass-fed if possible)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 large leeks, sliced thinly, washed well and drained

5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

sea salt and pepper

1 tbsp mixed dried herbs

1.2 litres (40fl oz) vegetable stock

300ml (10fl oz) milk

chopped chives to garnish

METHOD

1 Melt the butter and oil over low heat and add the onion, leeks, and potatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and mixed herbs.

2 Keep the heat very low and allow the vegetables to sweat for 15 minutes in the butter and oil.

3 Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4 Add the milk and simmer for a further 5 minutes. You can purée but I prefer to serve this soup chunky.

5 Top with chopped chives

INGREDIENTS

8 large red peppers, chopped in half and seeded

6 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

120ml (4fl oz) dry sherry

1.2 litres (40fl oz) vegetable stock

150ml (5fl oz) orange juice grated rind of one orange

1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

chopped coriander and orange rind to garnish

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

2 Place the red peppers on a baking tray skin upwards and sprinkle with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the skins are blackened.

3 Remove from the oven and place in a plastic bag for 5 minutes. This will assist in the easy removal of the outer skins.

4 Remove the skin from the red peppers and chop into large pieces.

5 Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and sauté the chopped onions. Add the roasted red peppers and sherry. Sweat for 15 minutes.

6 Add the stock, orange juice and rind, and cook for 30 minutes over a gentle heat.

7 Add the fresh coriander. Purée the soup. Add a little more orange juice or stock to obtain the desired consistency.

8 Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and orange rind.

ROASTED RED PEPPER & ORANGE

This colourful soup has a depth of flavour and is truly delicious and warming on a cold autumn day.

SERVES 6
MINUTES 75
DIFFICULTY 6/10

DETOX CABBAGE

This is a dieter’s delight. A substantial soup that is great for detoxing.

SERVES 8
MINUTES 90
DIFFICULTY 1/10

INGREDIENTS

1.5 litres (50fl oz) vegetable stock

225g (8oz) carrots, shredded

150g (5oz) celery, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

8 whole peppercorns

1 whole cabbage (Savoy or white), shredded

juice from 1 lemon

METHOD

1 Combine the vegetable stock, carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, salt, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for one hour.

2 Add the shredded cabbage and lemon juice, and simmer for another 30 minutes.