I don’t really like sandwiches, especially ones that have been hanging around in a lunchbox for hours. This is one of the reasons that I’m very glad that I work from home these days. It means that I can make something fresh each lunchtime, even if it is only a piece of toast.

Hand-thrown soup bowls (by my friend Joe Finch) just waiting to be filled with homemade soup

As winter approaches, however, I start to want something warming for lunch and so I’m always glad if there is homemade soup in the freezer. This is why, in recent weeks, I have been busy converting lovely fresh vegetables (from the garden or local organic farm) into soup. There were two squashes that got to about 15 cm across and then stopped growing and started to go soft. I knew that unless I acted quickly, these would rot, so they were converted into squash soup, flavoured with freshly ground coriander seeds (which I grew a few years ago) and coconut cream (which it’s not possible to grow in west Wales!)… delicious. The spare courgettes have been gradually turned into courgette and carrot soup or Mulligatawny. Although I could never make enough soup to last the whole winter, it is great to think that there is some tucked away for later use.

As the winter progresses, different vegetables will become available and I will move on to making leek and potato soup, curried parsnip soup and Russian vegetable soup ( a soup of root vegetables with shredded greens added a few minutes before the end of cooking). Served with fresh bread, all these make for a healthy and delicious meal. If I could get my act together and start cultivating mushrooms, that would add yet another option…

So, what are your favourite soups to make?