Soups

Soup

Slow cooker soups

Chicken soup

Farmhouse vegetable soup

Mushroom soup

Cream of vegetable soup

Lentil soup

Minestrone soup

Leak and potato soup

Spicy lentil and tomato soup

Slow cooker soups

All our soups can be cooked in a slow cooker.

Method

Preheat the slow cooker.
Peel your vegetables and chop into cubes.
Add everything to the slow cooker.
Add the stock cubes, by either dissolving in boiled water or crumbling into the soup and covering the ingredients with boiling water.
As a guide reduce the standard recipes liquid by approximately one third. See table across for quantities of stock needed.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and refer to the original recipes cooking time. If the recipe normally takes 15 to 30 minutes, cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 1 to 2 hours. If the recipe normally takes 30 minutes to 1 hour, cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours.
If using barley, lentils, pasta or rice, add these to the slow cooker 1 hour before serving and allow to cook.
If the recipes use milk, add the milk at the end when the vegetables are cooked.

Stock requirements	Original recipe	Slow cooker recipe
Chicken soup	575 ml	385 ml
Farmhouse vegetable soup	575 ml	385 ml
Mushroom soup	575 ml	385 ml
Cream of vegetable soup	850 ml	570 ml
Lentil soup	1150 ml	770 ml
Minestrone soup	700 ml	470 ml
Leek and potato soup	850 ml	570 ml
Spicy lentil and tomato soup	850 ml	570 ml

Chicken soup

Ingredients

1 tsp of vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
275 ml of low-fat milk
1 low-salt chicken stock cube dissolved in 575 ml of
boiling water
pinch of salt if desired
pepper
2 medium-sized potatoes, cubed

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan.
Add the finely chopped onion and fry for 1 minute.
Gradually stir in the milk, stock, salt (if using)and pepper.
To thicken, add the potatoes.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep stirring until thickened.

Why not add roast chicken leftovers or ready-cooked chicken?

Serves:

2 adults and 2 kids

Preparation time:

8 minutes

Cooking time:

20 minutes

Utensils needed:

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Measuring jug

Farmhouse vegetable soup

Ingredients

3 carrots
1 turnip
1 parsnip
1 to 2 leeks
1 onion
8 mushrooms

You can use your favourite vegetables instead.

3 tomatoes or a 400 g tin of tomatoes1 tsp of vegetable oil
150 ml of low-fat milk
1 low-salt vegetable stock cube dissolved in 575 ml of boiling water
pinch of salt if desired
pepper

Method

Wash, peel and dice carrots, turnip and parsnip. Wash and chop leeks, chop onion and slice mushrooms. Skin and chop tomatoes.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and gently fry onion and mushrooms.
Add carrots, turnips, parsnips and leeks and fry gently.
Gradually stir in the milk.
Add stock and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
Add tomatoes, pepper and a pinch of salt if desired.
Cover saucepan and simmer gently for about 45 minutes.

Serves:

2 adults and 2 kids

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

45 minutes

Utensils needed:

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Vegetable Peeler
Measuring jug

Mushroom soup

Ingredients

1 tsp of vegetable oil
10 mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 low-salt stock cube dissolved in 575 ml
of boiling water
425 ml of low-fat milk
pinch of salt if desired
pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and onion and fry, stirring continually for 5 minutes.
Gradually stir in the stock and milk and bring to the boil. Keep stirring.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add salt (if using) and pepper to taste.

Try adding corn to the soup for extra texture and taste.

Serves:

2 adults and 2 kids

Preparation time:

8 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Utensils needed:

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Measuring jug

Cream of vegetable soup

Ingredients

10 ml vegetable oil
1 medium-sized onion
2 medium-sized carrots
2 sticks celery
1 leek

You can use dried but fresh herbs always give a better flavour.

1 small turnip
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp of fresh parsley and thyme or 1 tsp of dried parsley and thyme
1 low-salt stock cube dissolved in
850 ml of boiling water
salt, if desired
pepper

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
Chop the onion, carrot, celery, leek and turnip into small pieces, around 1 cm cubes.
Gently cook all the vegetables in the oil for 10 to 15 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally.
Chop the clove of garlic and the herbs then add them to the pan, along with the vegetable stock, salt (if using) and pepper.
Bring the soup to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes.
Taste it to see if it needs extra salt or pepper.
You can eat the soup as it is or liquidise it to make a smooth soup.

Serves:

3 adults

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

55 minutes

Utensils needed:

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Measuring jug
Vegetable peeler
Hand blender

Lentil soup

Ingredients

2 small onions
2 large carrots
½ tsp of mixed dried herbs
pinch of ground ginger
225 g of red lentils
2 low-salt stock cubes dissolved in 1150 ml of boiling water

Method

Peel and chop the onions.
Wash, peel and chop the carrots.
Place the onions in a saucepan with a little water and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the chopped carrots.
Add the mixed herbs and a pinch of ground ginger.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lentils, mixing well.
Return to the heat, add the vegetable stock and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Once cooked, liquidise the mixture with a hand blender or liquidiser.
Return the blended soup to the saucepan and reheat without boiling.
Serve and enjoy.

Serves:

6 adults

Preparation time:

10 minutes

Cooking time:

30 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Vegetable peeler
Saucepan
Hand blender
Wooden spoon
Measuring jug

Minestrone soup

Ingredients

10 ml vegetable oil
1 small potato
2 medium-sized carrots
2 sticks celery
4 lean rashers, cut into strips

3 cloves garlic
1 large onion
1 low-salt vegetable stock cube dissolved in 700 ml boiling water
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes, with no added salt
150 g of pasta, any shape
pinch of black pepper
200 g of frozen peas, defrosted

Method

Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Finely chop the potato, carrots, celery, rashers, garlic and onion then add them to the pan.
Stir regularly to stop them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
Add the stock and the tin of tomatoes.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
While simmering, add the pasta and black pepper.
Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the peas and keep simmering until they are hot. Serve and enjoy.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Measuring jug
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Vegetable peeler

Leek and potato soup

Ingredients

1 small onion
3 or 4 leeks
2 medium-sized potatoes
1 low-salt vegetable stock cube to be dissolved in 850 ml of boiling water
black pepper

Method

Peel and chop the onions.
Wash, peel and slice the leeks.
Wash, peel and chop the potatoes into cubes.
Place the onions and leeks in a saucepan with a little water and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the potatoes, vegetable stock and black pepper.
Allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Once cooked, liquidise the mixture with a hand blender or liquidiser.
Return the blended soup to the saucepan and reheat without boiling.
Serve and enjoy.

Serves:

6 adults

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Vegetable peeler
Saucepan
Hand blender
Wooden spoon
Measuring jug

Spicy lentil and tomato soup

Ingredients

1 medium-sized onion
1 clove of garlic
1-2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
1 leek

2 large fresh tomatoes or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
10 ml of vegetable oil
¼ tsp of chilli powder
140 g of red split lentils
1 low-salt vegetable or chicken stock cube dissolved in 850 ml of boiling water
1 tbsp of fresh parsley or 1 tsp of dried parsley

Method

Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
Wash, peel and chop the celery, carrots and leek.
Chop the tomatoes.
Heat the oil and gently fry the chopped garlic, onion, celery, carrots and leek until softened.
Add the chilli powder and stir in the lentils.
Stir in the tomatoes.
Pour the stock over the vegetables and lentils.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are tender.
Add the parsley.
Blend if desired.
Serve and enjoy.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Vegetable peeler
Saucepan
Hand blender
Wooden spoon
Measuring jug