The Jerusalem Artichoke is a really underused vegetable which looks looks a bit like a potato, has a texture a bit like a radish, and tastes nothing like either. It is actually the root of a species of sunflower and has a really unique earthy flavour.

Czarnina is pretty much a traditional Polish dish, yet shows just how much we in the Western world (UK, in my case) have become detached from our food. All meat has blood in it, but the mere mention of a soup where blood is the primary ingredient still never fails to raise an eyebrow.

Now, how to cook a white carrot and still keep it interesting? A quick scan of the internet shows recipes ranging from white carrot juice and white carrot cake. Since I’ve not tasted white carrot before, I opted for a recipe which would highlight its flavour (a bit more delicate than a “normal” carrot, I think); the humble soup.

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!