When you need a general uplift nothing does it like soup: a nourishing broth leaves you feeling comforted, satisfied and full of goodness. Soup is such a simple meal and yet it is delicious alongside a warm buttered roll for any occasion. It is cheap, straight forward to make in large batches and easy to freeze… what’s not to like?!

Carrot and coriander soup is a particular favourite of mine. It has a real kick of flavour from the coriander and a slight sweetness form the carrots which marry together beautifully. The real trick to making this soup great is using proper chicken stock (as with any soup!). Stock is simple to make and primarily involves boiling up a chicken carcass alongside onions and root veg, and it is ridiculously great for you! Good old BBC Food will help you out with a recipe if you need to know more…

Ingredients

• Knob of butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 500g carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (I use 4, but I have a love affair with garlic)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 pints chicken stock
• 3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cover with a lid and sauté for 10minutes. Stir occasionally
2. Stir in the ground coriander and seasoning (to suit your taste) and cook for another minute.
3. Add the stock and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in 3/4 the fresh coriander
4. Whizz the soup with a stick blender and sprinkle over remaining coriander
5. Serve with a dash of cream and warm and crusty roll