Ingredients

2 oz. Tapioca
4 tablespoons cream
3 pints second stock
1 level teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
Pinch cayenne.

Method

Soak tapioca overnight. Place stock on to boil. When boiling sprinkle in tapioca and cook well about 30 minutes. Beat egg yolks, add cream or milk and strain. When stock has cooled slightly, pour eggs and cream gradually into it. Add salt and cayenne. Return to fire and stir till thick. Care must be taken not to allow the soup to boil or eggs will curdle.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
4 large chopped onions
4 large cubed potatoes
4 cups hot water
4 chicken stock cubes
1oz butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon parsley
1 cup sour cream

Method

Saute bacon, remove from pan and cut into small pieces. Saute chopped onions. To onions and bacon add flour, crumble in stock cubes and stirring to thicken, add hot water, add slices potatoes, salt and pepper to taste and simmer carefully until potatoes are tender but not mushy. Before serving stir in sour cream.

Serves: 4
Time to prepare: 20 mins
Time to cook: approx 45 mins
Cals per portion: 120

15ml (1tbsp) olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
450g (1lb) carrots, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced
1.2 litres (2pt) hot vegetable stock
Fried chopped leeks, to garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan. Add the onion and fry for 5 mins, then stir in the carrots, cover and cook for a further 5 mins.
2. Stir in the leeks and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 mins until the vegetables are tender.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender.
4. Return the soup to the pan and heat through gently. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve garnished with fried chopped leeks, if liked, and freshly ground black pepper.

This hearty, warming pumpkin soup is perfect for Halloween, especially when it’s served with breadstick broomsticks! It’s packed with goodness and it’s low-fat too.. a winner all round!

Serves: 4

2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
700g (1lb 6oz) pumpkin flesh, roughly chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1.2 ltrs (2pts) water or vegetable stock
200ml (7fl oz) soya light alternative to milk
4tbsp soya alternative to cream

Broomsticks
4 part-baked breadsticks
2tbsp olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes to soften.
2. Add the pumpkin and sweet potato and cook for a couple of mins, then add the water or stock. Season with salt and ground black pepper, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 mins until the pumpkin and sweet potato are really tender.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Cut the bread in half lengthways, then make several cuts one third of the way up the length to look like broom bristles. Repeat with the other bread, put onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5-8 mins until golden.
3. Stir the soya light into the soup, whiz everything together in blender or processor in batches until smooth. Return to the pan and gently warm through. Pour into bowls and finish with a swirl of soya alternative to cream.

Takes: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Calories per serving: 300
Fat per serving: 13g

250g (9oz) unsmoked bacon chops, trimmed of all fat and cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
375g (13oz) potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
800ml (28 floz) hot chicken stock
326g (11 1/2oz) tinned sweetcorn, drained

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan and cook the bacon for 4 mins, remove and set aside. Add another tbsp of oil, add the onion and cook until soft. Add the potato and stock.
2. Cover and simmer for 15 mins.
3. Remove half the mix and set aside with the bacon. Purée rest of the potato and onion with the stock and half the sweetcorn in a processor. Season with pepper and return to the pan, add the bacon mix and sweetcorn, heat through and serve.

The choice of pumpkin or squash is key to the flavour of this soupand we have recently taken to using a mix – kabocha for starchiness, andbutternut, hubbard or crown prince for sweetness. We roast the pumpkin to intensify its flavour.

Serves: 4

600g peeled and seeded pumpkin or squash (equivalent to about 1kg unprepared pumpkin), cut into 3cm cubes
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced across the grain
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
a pinch of crushed dried chilli
1 medium potato (about 150g), peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 litre vegetable (or chicken) stock, preferably hot
1 medium bunch (about 40g) of coriander, coarsely chopped
1–2 teaspoons caster sugar (optional, depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin)

To serve:
50g unsalted butter
30g pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g good-quality Greek yoghurt, such as Total, thinned with 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7. Toss the pumpkin with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, a good pinch of salt and some black pepper and spread it out in a roasting tin. Roast for about an hour, until very soft and starting to colour.
2. About 20 minutes before the pumpkin is ready, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden. Now add the garlic, cinnamon and chilli. Fry for another minute to release their flavour, then add the potato and a little salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins more, taking care that the garlic doesn’t burn, then add the roasted pumpkin and the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20 mins or until the potato is soft.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Melt the butter in your smallest pan, add the pine nuts and cinnamon and fry gently until the butter begins to caramelise and foam and the pine nuts are starting to turn a very pale brown.
Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any bits that are stuck and pour the pine nuts and butter into a cool bowl to stop the cooking. In another bowl, season the yoghurt with the crushed garlic and some salt and pepper.
4. With a handheld blender or in a food processor, blend the soup untilsmooth. Return it to the pan, stir in the chopped coriander and check for seasoning. If the soup is not sweet enough, add a little sugar. Serve with the seasoned yoghurt, warm brown butter and pine nuts on top.

A classic, filling soup the whole family will love

Serves: 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course
4 leeks, chopped
1 large potatoes, cubed
1tbsp vegetable oil
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
300ml single cream
pinch of grated nutmeg

To serve:
Croutons
Grated nutmeg
Parsley, chopped

1. Sweat 4 chopped leeks and 4 large cubed potatoes in 1tbsp vegetable oil for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.
2. Add 800ml chicken or vegetable stock, cover and simmer for 15 mins. Season to taste and leave to cool slightly.
3. Liquidise soup until smooth. Return to pan, stir through 300ml single cream and pinch of grated nutmeg. Reheat gently. Garnish with a swirl of natural yoghurt, chopped parsley and some crunchy croutons.

This beautifully coloured soup is great on a winter day with a chunk of warm bread. It’s vegan but vegetarians and meat eaters are sure to love it too!

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Serves: 4

Calories per portion: 158 kcals (including garnish)
Fat per portion: 5.4g (including garnish)

1tbsp light olive oil
75g (3oz) onion, finely chopped
175g (6oz) carrots, diced
150g (5oz) parsnips, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
800ml (1 1/3 pints) light stock
350g (12oz) cooked beetroot (not in vinegar), sliced
4 tsp fresh dill, chopped
1 pomegranate

To garnish
4 tbsp soya yoghurt
2 tbsp walnut pieces (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sweat the onion, carrot and parsnip for 5 mins until it starts to soften. Add the coriander and cook for a further 2 mins.
2. Add the stock and beetroot. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins, adding 2 tsp of dill for the last 2 or 3 mins.
3. Cut the pomegranate in half and extract the juice using a lemon squeezer. Blend the soup and add the juice to taste (up to 4 tbsp).
4. Garnish with the yoghurt, walnut pieces and remaining 2 tsp chopped dill. Serve with walnut bread or granary or rye rolls (bread is optional and not included in calorie/fat count).