How to spice up winter soup

There are few things as good as soup for comfort and warmth. Though, with the very notable exception of Heinz tomato, I find ready-made soups invariably dull. The fresh counter ones are even worse than the tinned: bland, gloopy, surprisingly calorific and expensive for what is, after all, liquid food.

When it comes to soup, I go for one of two approaches. When I need instant warmth and salty satisfaction I’ll have a mug of broth— Bovril beef tea, miso soup from a sachet, or even just a crumbled veggie stock cube in boiling water. And when I want a real meal, something nutritious and filling, I’ll make a proper blended soup.

Given soups have no textural interest (unless you embrace the world of croutons and other crispy bits on top) they have to deliver on flavour, otherwise you really are in the realm of baby food. To inject flavour you can play around with the liquid, substituting for the stock: coconut milk pairs nicely with butternut squash and a combination of milk and stock is what you want for a creamy potato soup.