I’ve had my eye on the stinging nettles near where I take the dog for a walk for a while now; nettles are one of natures great freebies and I really needed to grab some before it was too late (fresh young leaves are the best, so March / April are the best times). I’ve tried Nettle Soup before, which is fantastic, but never ventured further than that; now I can happily report that Nettle Pesto is delicious too.

The parsnip.  Not a very exciting vegetable on its own and certainly one that always seems to be left lurking when my vegetable box is almost empty, but one which works incredibly well with other flavours.  A curried parsnip soup is one way of using this vegetable which is becoming pretty well known, so [...]

This bright red beetroot soup is popular throughout the whole of Eastern Europe and it’s easy to see why – the colour is stunning and the taste is delicious!

Papa al Pomodoro is, truly, one of the most delicious and simple soups you can make, originating in Tuscany and consisting of not much more than tomatoes and bread. In my case, it’s also great for creating the illusion of summer; the reality is very wintry wind and rain hammering my window as I type!

Broccoli is a really super healthy vegetable that is underused in the kitchen, high in vitamin c and fibre as well as being a natural diuretic with anti-carcinogenic (cancer reducing) properties. Phew – I feel healthier just talking about it!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Seasonal Food is where it’s at. So there’s no better way in my eyes than to combine a whole bunch of the best vegetables that May has to offer – in this case, in the form of a soup.

Some of you might be put off by [...]

There’s a couple of interesting things about this recipe. First, it’s cooked with the heat turned off (which probably has something which Molecular Gastronomy could explain better then me), and secondly, the resulting stock liquid can be turned into a soup quickly and easily. Dinner for two days!