‘Only the pure in heart can make a good soup,’ Beethoven once said

I would add the caveat that while you don’t necessarily have to be a good person to make a great soup you definitely need quality ingredients to end up with something delicious.

When I started working in professional kitchens stock pots were the basis of many dishes including soup. Vats of bubbling liquid with roasted bones and aromatics permeated the air. The longer they were left to simmer, the better the layers of taste. I’m not averse to using stock cubes but the difference between fresh stock and using one from a packet is the difference between sublime and acceptable in a finished soup or sauce.

Thirty years ago when I was making soup at college it was all about thickening it with a roux. The result was often gloopy with a horrible skin on top. It’s better to let the actual ingredients thicken the soup or add a potato to do the same job. When blended you’ll end up with a natural, silky product. To get the most flavour out of vegetables, roast them first with a little oil, salt and some aromatic herbs like thyme or rosemary. The key to any good soup is to start with what the French call a mirepoix and the Italians call a sofrito. Chopped onions, garlic, celery, leek and carrots are cooked gently in butter or oil until golden and fragrant. This is not a quick process – it will take about 20 minutes but will make a magical difference to the end result. Add the stock, main component and simmer gently before blending. If you boil soup the starches burst and you’re left with something that looks like it’s got measles, rather than a smooth velvety finish. My first recipe is for a pumpkin soup with a garnish of chicken, apple and smoked almonds. Local culinary pumpkins are available now. They’re denser and sweeter than the carving variety you’ll find in supermarkets.

Beef broth has been in the news of late as a super food – tell us something we don’t know here! Shin soup was a mainstay of my childhood – there would invariably be a pot on the stove and nothing warmed the heart and soul, never mind the belly, like it. My other recipe is for a hearty soup using beef shin as a base, with the bone in so you get all that richness from the marrow. Potatoes are added and its blended to a smooth puree. The shredded beef is added and a few potato bread croutons added for crunch.

Louis P. De Gouy was the chef in New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel in the 1940’s. He summed up how wonderfully versatile soup is “Soup is cuisine’s kindest course. It breathes reassurance; it steams consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability, as the five o’clock cup of tea or the cocktail hour”.

Definitely something to brighten up the dark, chilly winter evenings.