The best thing about soup is that its easy to make and hard to muck up. It’s also great because: it’s cheap; it’s convenient because you can freeze and microwave it; and if eaten with bread its pretty sustaining. Another great thing about soup in January is that invariably you’re going to be recovering financially from Christmas and perhaps finding yourself with more free time at weekends or wanting to spend less on lunch.
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I thought I’d summarise the soups I use most because soup can often get boring, so if you rotate what you’re making that helps. In no particular order:
- Carrot and corriander;
- Spicy parsnip;
- Silton; (potato and leek base)
- Potato and leek;
- Mixed vegetable soup (the recipe is basically, assorted veg, butter, stock, but there are probably 4m variations online)
This is quite a limited list at the moment, not least of all because there’s no meaty soups. But these are the ones that I regularly make and can rattle off while making other things in the kitchen. Next on my list to try are:
- Pearl barley and squash;
- Ham and lentil;
- Other lentil soups…because lentils are actually quite nice, also cheap and very sustaining
Let me know if you have a favourite good, simple soup I can add to my list 
The Stilton soup you made on Saturday was delicious and I shall certainly make it at home. We ate it with walnut bread and French ham. Yumm!