Cut up the new coriander. Add the chopped stalks and half of the leaves to the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the carrot and potato are soft. Flavor: Mix in basil, stems and all, honey, and seasonings. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Take the basil out before you serve. New Covent Garden Soup Co. have celebrated this year’s summer by bringing out a great new range of soups. But, even better than that, they invited me to come and try them. Rinse the courgettes, remove the top and bottom, then chop roughly into rings. (If you’re not going to blend your soup then you might want to take a little more care over this bit, but as I blitz it all then I don’t worry too much about the size.) Add to the pan. I’m using my usual Portmeirion casserole but you can use any large pan. Small daughter absolutely loves this soup, it’s a close second to leek and potato for her. I have to say that I was a bit surprised that she took to it the way that she did when I first made it – I expected a bit more resistance to a soup other than leek and potato – but it’s a pleasant green colour, slightly creamy from the Brie and is actually just a very nice soup so there’s nothing for her not to like!

Tonight, it’s courgette and Brie, a recipe which I originally found in my Covent Garden soup book but as usual am too lazy busy to follow exactly so have adapted to my throw-it-all-in-the-pot style. Improv cooking at it’s best! Add enough of creamy brie cheese to your soup for a rich and delicious flavour. If you do not like the slightly bitter taste or the brie’s rind, remove it before adding to the soup. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook it for about 5 minutes, until it becomes soft. Put in the garlic and cook for one more minute.Add a few drops of creme fraiche, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche that has been thinned with a little milk. Take out of the oven and put the tomatoes, lemon juice, tomato puree, and sugar in a blender. If you need to, add water to make it smooth enough to pour. To make the basil puree, pound the basil leaves with salt in a pestle and mortar until they are smooth. Add the olive oil and vinegar and stir well. Put a heaping teaspoon of the puree on top of the soup and eat it with bread and other things. It's delicious!

Put on the pan on the stove and bring to the boil. At this point, I put my pan in the bottom (simmering) oven of my Aga and it will sit there until I’m ready to put the soup in the blender. You can get the same effect from a conventional oven on a very low light (ideal if you’re out at work all day) or in a slow cooker. You only need to cook the vegetables until they’re soft so even if you’re in a bit of a hurry, it will only take about 20 minutes to make your soup if you don’t have time to leave the pan. get the grill really, really hot. Cut the tomatoes in half and put the halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Broil until the tomatoes are soft and the edges are starting to turn brown. This took me about 30 minutes. When it was soft but still a little dark, I took it out and set the oven to gas mark 5. Next up were the cold soups. I’m a ‘COLD SOUPS ARE WRONG’ kind of girl but I’m always up for a challenge, especially a soupy one and so I gave them a go. I should point out that the following two soups don’t have to be eaten cold, they can also be heated up. First of all I tried the Vintage Cheddar & Piccalilli flavour which is a British Ploughman’s in a bowl of soup featuring cheese, piccalilli, small chunks of vegetable and a hint of mustard. Use a heavy pestle and mortar to crush the coriander seeds. You can also use ground coriander, but the whole seeds tend to have more flavor. Put into the pot.

Other Recipes to Cook

The cheese adds a special touch to this soup, which makes it go from an everyday soup to a festive soup.Served with crispy, homemade croutons and a dash of sour cream, this light soup becomes a highlight. Tips for a good result Fancy having a go yourself? Like the leek and potato soup I showed you a couple of weeks ago, there’s not a lot to it. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil with the garlic and herbs. when it's hot, add the other vegetables. cook for a few minutes, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables start to soften. Put these vegetables on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven until they are soft. I spent about 40 minutes doing it. In general, the bigger the courgette (zucchine) the more bitterness it holds. So you better choose smaller ones. Then came the Beetroot & Horseradish soup. Hmm. An acquired taste I think. Both Helen and I said that it was ok but a bit odd.