Over the summer we often have eggs at lunchtime, but as laying declines in the autumn and the weather turns colder I start to crave warming soups. I years long distant, I might have opened a tin, but my tastes have changed and now I just want home-made soups. Whilst I sometimes use meat stocks, most of my soups are vegetable-based. So, on Friday I went and bought in bulk from the regular stall in Newcastle Emlyn:
my ‘haul’
I’ve spent much of the weekend in the kitchen. I started off with spicy parsnip soup – a Jane Grigson recipe. She is one of my favourite cookery writers and her ‘Vegetables’ book is pure inspiration. Second, I made spicy roasted pepper soup using a recipe from Riverford, but with a few modifications, including using yellow and orange peppers rather than red ones. Third, I made leek and potato soup – no specific recipe for this one, just leeks, onions, potatoes, chicken stock and water. Fourth, I made sweet potato and roasted pepper soup – inspired by, but not exactly the same as a recipe from a Women’s Institute cookbook. After this I’d still got ingredients left, so I made more spicy parsnip and more roasted pepper. I still have plenty more veg and I also have a freezer drawer full of portions of soup for two.
Buying in bulk means that the ingredients are very cheap and having room for storage means that I can take advantage of this; but also knowing what to do with all these raw ingredients is important. I worry that people who don’t know how to prepare fresh foods are stuck in a trap of being forced to rely on processed and pre-prepared meals. A friend mentioned the other day that at school in ‘cookery’ classes, all her son learned was how to put toppings on a pizza base and all about the dangers of cooking food for himself (hygiene issues, food poisoning etc). She said that he was so frightened by the horror stories of what could go wrong when preparing food, that he daren’t cook for himself any more. I could weep, but instead I will continue to share recipes and inspiration, to share home cooked food with my family and friends and to encourage everyone to cook their own food whenever possible.
many lunches to look forward to
The Snail of Happiness 
iamsimplyhooked
/ November 12, 2017The thing I (especially) like about Jane Grigson is that her recipe books are organised by the main ingredient so when it is leek season you just look up leeks. So may other recipe books start with the dish and send you off to the nearest supermarket to buy lots of out of season items.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017That’s so true – she’s also very readable and I can happily spend an afternoon just browsing her books and learning about the history of ingredients and recipes.
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coppicelearner
/ November 12, 2017I love home-made soup and have not bought a tin or packet for years. I usually just make up my own mixtures or, like you, base them loosely on something in a book. Yummy and perfect for this time of year.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017We had some of the roasted pepper soup for lunch – I put quite a bit of chilli in it and it was perfect for this dull, gloomy day.
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Ann Pole
/ November 12, 2017Gosh, just one of those soups would be an achievement for me. I’m one of those who struggles to know the best combinations and the best way to cook the veg to bring out the flavours. I’m OK at ‘mush’ though….
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017I love cooking… it probably shows!
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Ann Pole
/ November 13, 2017Maybe just a little!
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Ann Pole
/ November 12, 2017I think the thing for me was that a) I wasn’t inspired – school and home cooking consisted mainly of cakes, and although mum was a good cake cook, dinners consisted of meat and 2 veg. There was no experimentation. b) As a girl I was supposed to do cooking and sewing, and although I enjoy the sewing, I would rather have done woodwork.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017We cooked lots of things at home, but my repertoire really expanded when I went to university. Once I started trying new things, there was no stopping me!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ November 12, 2017I still make my own soups and freeze them for quick meals. I’m appalled at your friend’s son’s experience – so much for education!!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017She was devastated, and is now trying to set things right, but he seems to have been brainwashed!
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Murtagh's Meadow
/ November 12, 2017You have been busy. And lots to keep you well fed and warm this coming winter:-) i should do some leek and potatoe soup as we have both in the garden
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017What with one thing and another this year, I have few autumn/winter vegetables in the garden. Ah well, we can’t do everything.
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Murtagh's Meadow
/ November 13, 2017And you do lots!
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Born To Organize
/ November 12, 2017There is something so comforting about home-made soup. My sister has a few good recipes and so does my husband, Mike. I’ve used Sharon’s potato soup (corn chowder) and occasionally make an old Weight Watcher’s recipe when we’re feeding a lot of people. It’s always a hit. We’re able to buy vegetarian stock in a carton (less salty than bullion). You’ve inspired me to go make a pot of something.
I’ve also been drinking almost 100% whole, loose “tea” (more Rooibos than anything), also inspired by you. I’m spoiled for life. Tea bags are now a distant second.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017Oh, I’m so pleased to hear you’ve given up teabags.
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Laurie Graves
/ November 12, 2017Knowing how to cook not only saves a person money, but also can lead to a healthier life. As for soups… I adore them, and we make them a lot in the winter.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 12, 2017I did a final batch of sweet potato, squash and roast pepper this afternoon. I’m so happy to be so well stocked for a few weeks!
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Laurie Graves
/ November 13, 2017Deliciousness!
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peggycooperquilts
/ November 12, 2017I so wish they would bring Home Ec back into the school systems, but I also wish kids would learn these skills from home. Your soups look delicious.
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anne54
/ November 13, 2017I love soup too. In fact you have inspired me to cook up the pumpkin lurking in the fridge for dinner tonight! Some crusty bread and we are all set ~ even if it is a lovely 30º today. enjoy your soups.
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katechiconi
/ November 13, 2017I think you and I both mostly cook by instinct and what’s available. I can’t remember the last time I looked for a soup recipe, it’s mainly me thinking that I have some nice stock, what’s in the pantry and the fridge, what would work with that, and away we go. Today the Husband has a thermos of pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato and onion soup blended with some leftover chicken casserole gravy flavoured with garlic and five spice, and based on a good jellied chicken stock and with a dash of chilli added. I rarely use a recipe except for baking, and I give my mother the credit, as she had a true skill for extracting every last possibility from her ingredients and somehow making a little go a very long way.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 13, 2017I do love browsing recipe books and I especially like books by people who write about food as well as providing recipes… Jane Grigson is a particular favourite, as mentioned, but also Simon Hopkinson, Elizabeth Luard… not forgetting Harold McGee…
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katechiconi
/ November 13, 2017My cookery books tend to be more technique-based… I suppose my options were a bit more limited for such a long time. Now I can cook whatever I like without worry, but I find I’m only rarely tempted to dip into a book.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 13, 2017I do much more dipping than actually following recipes!
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katechiconi
/ November 13, 2017That’s the best way: inspiration rather than slavishly following each ingredient.
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Helen
/ November 13, 2017I bought my mum the Jane Grigson book one Christmas – will have to actually read it myself next time I visit!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 13, 2017I often get it off the shelf just to enjoy reading some of the chapter introductions.
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Helen
/ November 13, 2017😊
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katythenightowl
/ November 14, 2017A good friend of mine did something similar recently, and she kindly sent us around10 portions of her various home-made soups as a wonderful treat – and you’re right, there’s nothing at all like home-made soup, rather than the mass-made stuff sold in tins, or cartons, as nice as some of them can be:)
It’s especially good, with the cold weather coming in now 🙂
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quietwatercraft
/ November 14, 2017My brother will never cook chicken for himself because he’s so scared of doing it wrong and giving himself food poisoning. I took food technology (as it was called then but probably isn’t now) as a GCSE, and coming out of it I knew a heck of a lot about food laws and hygiene, but very little about actually cooking food. It’s useless really.
Thankfully we have Google and I’ve taught myself, now my homemade goodies always taste better than the bought stuff. But I’ve no idea how to convince my brother he’s totally able to cook chicken…
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painterwrite
/ November 14, 2017I’m a self-confessed soup addict…I’ll even eat it on the hottest days of summer! I started making my own soups about ten years ago and now cannot abide canned soup from the store (I can’t actually remember the last time I bought soup). Making soup is so easy and so rewarding…plus, as you say, you end up with plenty of leftovers which makes for easy meal preps later in the season.
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ November 17, 2017Hooraaaaay for home-made soup! I made a batch myself a couple of days ago, and it’s been great to have a whole week’s worth of easy, healthy lunches on hand. I’ll have to check out a Jane Grigson book or two next, and maybe pick up some new recipe ideas! Thanks for the tip 😀
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Jane Gealy
/ January 31, 2018I love making soup! And there’s always plenty on standby in the freezer! Mushroom soup today to warm me up on a dreary day in the UK.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ January 31, 2018Many years ago, we used to buy tinned soup… it was in the days when I felt I didn’t have time to cook… I’d be very sad to be forced to return to that situation. Although, on reflection, in those days we used to “go shopping” for entertainment… how my life has changed!
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Jane Gealy
/ January 31, 2018I still have a few tins gathering dust in the back of my cupboard. I saw one of those diet programmes where a lady was put on a soup diet, she said she didn’t have the time to prepare it, but surely she’d have had to prepare the veg for dinner anyway?
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The Snail of Happiness
/ January 31, 2018Perhaps she always bought take-out or ready meals – some people simply don’t cook!
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