Readers of our East of England Newsletter entered a competition by sharing their favourite soup recipes. Here are our top ten as selected by Paul Coleman, Catering Operations Manager for the region.

• Suffolk cauliflower cheese soup
• Pear, celery and walnut soup
• Squash with chilli soup
• Pear and watercress soup
• Tomato soup
• Celery and tomato soup
• Leek and tomato soup
• Spicy parsnip soup
• Make it NOW soup
• Carrot and potato soup

Winning recipe: Suffolk Cauliflower Cheese Soup
From Joan Cupples in Beccles who said:

'This soup makes use of the marvellous produce which grows in such abundance in our beautiful county of Suffolk. Buy the vegetables at your nearest farmers market or farm shop, to be absolutely sure they are fresh and flavoursome. A tired and faded supermarket cauli or flabby old potato will not do the trick! If Suffolk Gold is hard to find where you live, substitute some proper farmhouse cheddar, or if you or your guests are lactose-intolerant, some good English Goat’s Cheese.'

For four servings

• 1 medium white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium sized cauliflower, divided into florets - don't throw away the stalk, or the leaves, as they are full of flavour! Chop them finely too
• 1 large desiree potato weighing about 350g, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespon of flavourless vegetable or sunflower oil
• A few grates of fresh nutmeg
• One litre of vegetable stock, ideally fresh but a quality cube is ok
• Salt and pepper to tast
• 100g Suffolk Gold cheese, cut into 1cm cubes

Method

• Sweat the onion, the cauliflower and the potato in the oil until softened but not at all browned.
• Sprinkle on the nutmeg and allow it to cook out for a minute or two to mellow the flavour.
• Then pour on the stock, taste and season. Cook gently, covered, for half an hour.
• Take a hand blender and blend the soup in its pan to a smooth creamy consistency.
• To serve, place the hot soup into bowls or ramekins, sprinkle on a few cubes of Suffolk Gold or your chosen cheese.
• Enjoy with a chunk of granary bread or some fine Scottish oatcakes if wheat does not suit you.

Pear, celery and walnut soup
From Sue Stone in Ampthill

To serve two to three people

• 3-4 Medium Shallots finely chopped
• 1 Medium-sized Pear, chopped (can use un-peeled)
• 200g Celery including leaves, chopped
• 50g (2-oz) Walnuts – omit of soup required nut-free
• 400 ml Vegetarian Stock
• ¼ tsp Salt
• Freshly-ground Pepper
  Optional extras:
• 50ml Sherry
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg, Ginger and Cinammon

Method

• Gently Cook Shallots and Celery in Olive Oil.
• Add pear then sherry & spices (if using). Simmer gently (covered) until vegetables are soft then add stock and stir.
• Chop Walnuts (if using) in liquidiser – reserving ½ for garnish.
• Transfer soup to liquidiser and blend.
• Re-heat, check seasoning.
• Garnish with chopped walnuts or walnut and Cinnamon Croutons.

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Squash with chilli soup
From Joy Swanson, Felixtowe

For five generous portions

• approx 4lbs squash
• 1 large onion
• 25g butter
• 500ml full cream milk
• 500ml stock
• Salt & pepper
• Nutmeg
• Small teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 15g Gruyere cheese

Method

• Turn oven to hot. Gas 8/9.
• Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Cut into 8 pieces and brush all cut surfaces with oil.
• Place in a dish into the oven for 30 minutes.
• Chop onion and slowly fry in large pan with 25g butter until slightly brown around edges, approx 10 minutes.
• Stir the milk and stock into the onion in the pan. Let it simmer slowly.
• Remove squash from the oven, (test with skewer as itneeds to be soft).
• Add squash to pan and stir. Season with salt, pepper and hot chilli powder to taste. Simmer for approx 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from hob and liquidise well in small amounts.
• Stir the Gruyere into the soup leaving some to sprinkle on top when served.

Pear and watercress soup
From Gwen Evans, Diss

Serves six

• 1 bunch of watercress (approx 85g)
• 4 medum pears (cored but keep skins on)
• 900mlof good vegetable stock
• Salt & cayenne Pepper to taste
• 120 ml of Double Cream

Method

• Keep back about a third of the watercress leaves. Place the rest of the watercress leaves and stalks in a pan with the pears, stock and a little seasoning. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
• Reserving some watercress leaves for garnishing, add the rest of the watercress leaves and immediately blend in a food processor or liquidiser until smooth.
• Pour back into the saucepan and stir in the cream and lime juice, mix thoroughly. Check flavour and add seasoning to taste if necessary.
• Re-heat, stirring gently until warmed through.
• Serve, garnished with remaining watercress.

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Tomato soup
From Elizabeth Kirby, Hockley

Serves six

• 2 lbs ripe tomatoes
• 1½ pints stock
• Bouquet Garni
• Stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• ½ red pepper
• ½ 300-gram tin mushy peas
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• Seasoning
• 1 level teaspoon Demerara sugar
• Tomato ketchup if liked
• Single cream

Method

• Boil tomatoes in stock for 5 minutes then add Bouquet Garni.
• Roughly chop vegetables and add to tomatoes & stock. Peas may be added without chopping.
• Cook until vegetables are tender.
• Remove Bouquet Garni and rub vegetables, stock etc., through sieve.
• Add tomato puree, salt, pepper and sugar. Taste and if necessary add a squirt of tomato ketchup.
• Return to clean pan and re-heat. Add Cream to serve.

Celery and tomato soup
From Pat Edwards, Kings Lynn

• 1 large head of celery
• 2 large onions
• 1 oz butter
• 3 pints vegetable stock
• 1 large tin of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 teaspoons dried herbs
• Gravy powder

Method

• Chop the onions and celery fairly small, then fry in the butter for a few minutes.
• Add the stock to the pan with tomatoes, puree and herbs.
• Bring to boil and then simmer on hob, covered for 90 minutes or alternatively, transfer to electric hotpot for 3 or more hours.
• After an hour or so, use a potato masher to mash the vegetables quite vigorously.
• Mix some of the gravy powder with a little cold water and gradually add to the soup at the time. Stir well.
• When ready to serve, the coup can be served as it is with herby croutons or crusty bread, or for a smoother soup pushed through a sieve before serving.
• Will keep for a few days in the fridge, but does not freeze well.

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Leek and tomato soup
From Linda Longhurst, Chevington

• Olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, washed & roughly chopped
• 1-lb ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped - white centres removed
• 1 pint vegetable stock
• Salt to taste
• Plenty of black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 handful chopped parsley
• 1 ‘squirt’ of tomato puree (about 1 tablespoon)

Method

• Add a little olive oil to a thick-bottomed pan and gently soften the leeks over a low heat for 5 mins.
• Add all other ingredients.
• Simmer for 25 minutes and remove bay leaf.
• Use a hand blender or food processor to blend until half smooth half lumpy.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and a swirl of cream.
• Serve with warm crusty bread.

Spicy parsnip soup
From Ceri Jones, Kings Langley

• 60g butter
• 2 chopped onions
• 1kg parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1lt vegetable stock
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• Chopped herbs to garnish

Method

• Melt butter & sauté onion and parsnip to soften 3-4 minutes.
• Add spices and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables stock, bring to boil and simmer with a lid for half hr.Take off heat and cool slightly.
• Blend/liquidise until smooth. Return to saucepan, add evaporated milk and stir over a low heat to heat through.
• Serve, garnished with chopped herbs.

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Make it NOW soup
From Debra Shipley, Walberswick

If you have the time, do go out and buy the best fresh produce you can find, or better still, grow your own. But this soup gets its name because you can make it from whatever you have available now. So if you have grown a lot of pumpkins this year then it’s Make it Now Pumpkin Soup and so on.

• 1 large floury potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6-8 medium carrots or a butternut squash or a large piece of pumpkin or you decide… peeled and diced
• A little olive oil
• 1 pint vegetable stock

Method

• Sweat the Onion in the oil until translucent.
• Add the potato and other vegetables of your choice.
• Stir around for a minute or so then add the stock.
• Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato and vegetable is soft.
• Remove from the heat, and then blend until smooth.
• Taste, add salt to taste.

You can eat it now, plain but delicious, or make it even better by adding any of the following:

Cream, milk, chopped chives, chopped parsley, pine nuts, toasted seeds, garlic croutons, fried bread crumbs, grated cheddar, crumbled feta, torn basil...

P.S. If you do grow your own vegetables and have a glut, this soup freezes brilliantly.

Carrot and potato soup
From Frances Clifton, Braintree

Serves six

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 4 carrots – chopped
• 1 ½ lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• ½ pint milk

Method

• Heat the oil and coriander.
• Add potatoes and carrots, toss in the oil.
• Add the stock.
• Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Cool slightly.
• Blend the Soup in batches, then return to the pan, stir in the milk and bring to the boil.