Chapter 1: Soups - Completed!

All 24 of the recipes within the Soup chapter are now complete and can join Stuffings in the done pile! I must say that many of them are but vague memories; most of them being cooked at the start of the project when I was a poor PhD student. All of the recipes are below in the order given in English Food with their score.

It was quite a mixed bag of recipes, though none were complete disasters or particularly horrible, with the lowest score being a quite good 4.5/10. Though I notice I have been rather generous in my scoring at the start! The average score for this chapter is a pretty decent 6.9, two whole points lower than the Stuffings section.

The first recipe I cooked for the blog: Finnan Haddock Soup

More importantly, there were some real stars that have become part of my regular repertoire, both at home and for the business, such as Green Pea Soup, June Pea Soup, Vegetable Soup, Cawl and Oyster (or Mussel) Soup.

So what have I learnt about English soups now that I have cooked so many? Well the main thing is that we love it – there are so many different kinds from simple hearty ones that are intended to be a complete meal such as Cawl or Mutton and Leek Broth to light and seasonal ones, delicious as a starter or light lunch like Tomato Soup and June Pea Soup. The final recipe to be cooked in the book – English Hare Soup – is just a single example of the very rich and darkly opulent soups you would have expected to be served in grander houses.

Tomato Soup

English soups are diverse and delicious, but one thing I do notice is that there are no complex soups that are loved, whose recipes are discussed and argued over between families and within households like the French Pot-au-Feu, Bouillabaisse and Cassoulet.

Soups and stews have evolved greatly from the few vegetables, herbs, cereals and scraps of meat and bone we simmered together in times past into an amazing array of delights, but the main thing I have learnt comes straight from those early pottage-makers – how to improvise with whatever you have to produce something nourishing and delicious.

#194 Almond Soup (White Soup) 9/10

#182 Apple Soup 5/10

#165 Indian Soup 6.5/10

#107 Chestnut and Apple Soup 6.5/10

#38 Broad Bean Soup 6.5/10

#69 Watercress Soup 5/10

#67 Green Pea Soup 8.5/10

#341 June Pea Soup 7/10

#60 Tomato Soup, Hot or Chilled 7/10

#68 Carrot and Tomato Soup 7/10

#187 Soyer’s Clear Vegetable Soup 5/10

#185 Vegetable  Soup 8/10

#7 Cauliflower and Fennel Soup 6/10

#16 Palestine Soup 8.75/10

#223 Marion Jones’s Green Fish Soup 5/10

#316 Oyster or Mussel Soup 9/10

#1 Smoked Finnan Haddock Soup 10/10

#193 Kidney Soup 6.5/10

#80 Oxtail Soup 7.5/10

#98 Cawl 7/10

#103 Mutton and Leek Broth 6.5/10

#106 Mulligatawny Soup 4.5/10

#327 Turkey and Hazelnut Soup 5.5/10

#410 English Hare Soup 9/10