Last updated 19:29, Thursday, 27 November 2008

THIS week we’re talking winter soups.

We’re sure you’d agree that, weather wise, it is a fitting subject.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. There’s nothing as satisfying as a home-made soup.

Ready-made versions simply do not compare and they truly are the easiest thing to make

Winter is a good time to make soups because not only do you feel in the mood to eat them but the season offers an abundance of vegetables just ripe and ready to lend themselves to your aid.

We know someone (mentioning no names) whose benchmark of a good soup is that it is served ‘lovely and hot’. Well, that doesn’t cut the mustard with us. We have three words for you – flavour, flavour, flavour.

Soups must pack a punch to be worth the effort. Not that they are that much effort, but we won’t tell if you don’t.

All today’s soups serve four.

3 medium white onions, peeled and roughly chopped

A good handful of wild mushrooms

2 vegetable stock cubes

50g blue cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon flour

50g butter

1 pint milk

Sweat the onions in a pan on a low heat with the butter until translucent. Do not allow them to get any colour.

This will take approximately five minutes.

Add the flour and stir to coat all the onion. Cook for a minute or so. Add the wild mushrooms.

Now add the stock cubes with one pint boiling water, blue cheese and milk and simmer for 10 minutes.

Whizz up with a blender. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Splash of oil

3-4 parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 x 200g pack roasted chestnuts

800ml stock (made with boiling water and two chicken or vegetable stock cubes)

Salt and pepper

Cream or crème fraiche – optional

Add the oil to a large sauce pan and sweat the parsnips, onion and celery until soft.

Add the apples and cook for a further five minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chestnuts and stock, bring to the boil then simmer the soup for around 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and liquidise with a jug or hand blender. Taste to check the seasoning. If the soup has reduced quite a lot and become too thick for your liking, just add a little boiling water.

Gently reheat the soup to serve and add a swirl of cream or dollop of crème fraiche if you prefer.

1 large cauliflower, trimmed into florets

1 knob butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 small leek, chopped

1 litre vegetable stock (made with 2 cubes)

2 egg yolks

Glug of whipping or double cream (around 5 tablespoons)

75g cheddar cheese

Dollop of grain mustard (optional)

Salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion and leek. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook for a further five minutes until everything has begun to soften.

Pour in the stock, bring to the boil then simmer for around 20 minutes.

Puree the soup then return to the saucepan.

In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolk with the cream and the cheese. Whisk around two small ladlefuls of the soup into this mixture then stir it into the remainder of the soup.

Reheat gently without allowing it to boil (to avoid curdling the egg). Add the mustard if using and season with salt and pepper.

PS You’ll notice we have used cheese in two of our soups this week so it is with delight that we discovered Shill’s, of Station Street, Cockermouth, last week, which is a new deli specialising in cheese, chocolate and wine, just in time for Christmas.