Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Homemade mushroom soup is one of my absolute favourites, and when you can make it with wild mushrooms there is nothing better.  There's currently a green grocer stall in the outside section of Borough Market selling about 300g of woodland wild mushrooms for £3.50 so this week I took full advantage and have enjoyed this glorious soup for three days solid.

You can make it with any mushrooms though and it'll still be tasty so if you can't get the wild mushrooms, just use a mixture of what you can get hold of locally.

This is a completely vegetarian meal and if you wanted to adapt it to make it vegan, you could just omit from using the cream, or use a plant-based variety such as Elmlea Plant Double.

The below makes enough for x4 full portions.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Here's how:

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 400g wild or mixed mushrooms
• x1 leek
• x1 red onion
• x1 clove of garlic
• x3 celery sticks
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch black pepper
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp single cream

Firstly drizzle the oil into a heavy bottomed saucepan and place on a low heat. 

Now peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, slice the leek finely and the celery and place into the pan to gently soften - this is your soup base. 

Now roughly chop the mushrooms and once everything is softened in the pan, add the mushrooms and allow them to get a good coating of the olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper now.

Add the dried thyme, which really complements mushrooms, and pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

Now blitz the soup - I use my Nutribullet so I always allow the soup to cool a little first to avoid any explosions! 

Once blended, return to the heat and once warmed through remove from the heat and stir through the single cream. Add a tiny drizzle to each bowl once dished up as a pretty garnish.Enjoy!

If you're also making the most of soup season; here are a few other soup recipes you might like:
Restorative Green Soup
Alphabet and Hidden Veg Soup
Winter Vegetable Soup
Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Roasted Celeriac Soup

As it's January and we are enjoying plenty of lighter dishes; including soups.  I made this as an experiment for the first time today and it was absolutely delicious and I'll 100% be making it again soon.

It's completely vegetarian and vegan; so ideal if you are doing Veganuary or generally following a plant-based diet; but it's equally good for those who still enjoy a bit of everything too.

Celeriacs' can be a bit of a faff to prepare, but this recipe is well worth the initial effort and the rest of it is completely low maintenance too. The end result is a thick and creamy tasting soup - really hearty but super healthy too.

The below serves x4 portions with each portion approximately 200 calories.

Roasted Celeriac Soup

Here's how:

• x1 celeriac (approx 600g)
• x2 large garlic cloves
• x1 large white onion
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Firstly whack the oven onto 180 degrees. 

Now to prepare the celeriac, firstly use a vegetable peeler to remove the outside, dark, gnarly bits of skin. There may be a slightly green tinge underneath, as a posed to the white and creamy depths of the celeriac - it's fine to leave these green bits so you don't lose too much of the celeriac.

Once peeled, carefully slice into 3-4 large slices, and then chop into about 2cm pieces and place into a roasting tin.

Now peel the onion and remove the ends then roughly chop, again into about 2cm sized pieces.

Peel the garlic cloves and throw into the roasting tin with the onion.

Drizzle with the vegetable oil and then season and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

When you remove from the oven, the onion should be charred and have a lovely, smokey flavour which will add to the soup, and the celeriac should have bits that are slightly browning.

Now remove everything and place into a large saucepan and pour over the vegetable stock. 

Use a blender to blitz till thick, smooth and creamy. 

Now gently heat on the hob until warmed through. Enjoy!

Curried Lentil Soup

This warming, comforting soup is the perfect pick-me-up when returning from work on a cold day.

It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly too so good if you are practising Meat Free Monday.

It relies on things you would mostly find in the stock cupboard too - so can be made at the last minute at very little cost, win, win.

The gentle spicing makes this almost a liquid curry soup and it’s great for warming you right through.

Curried Lentil Soup

The below serves four.

Here's how:
200g red split lentils
1 onion
2cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 large garlic clove
2 carrots
1.5 pints vegetable stock
1 drizzle olive oil or a Fry Light Spray
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

Firstly drizzle the oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Peel and roughly chop the onion and place in the pan.

Peel and mince or roughly chop the garlic and do the same with the ginger add to the pan.

Now allow these to soften a little before going in with the curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric and garam masala.

While these soften a little, rinse the lentils through with a sieve until the waters run clear.

Now place these into the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move around a little and get a good coating of the spiced garlic, onion and ginger base.

Now pour over the soup and allow to slowly simmer for around 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

Remove from the heat and once cooled a little, blitz. I use a Nutribullet so I allow the soup to cool right down.

Once blended return to the pan and bring back to the heat and once warmed through dish up. Enjoy with crusty bread or naan.

Here are a few other vegetarian friendly soup recipes you might like:

Restorative Green Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Red Pepper Soup

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

This is a great weekend breakfast or brunch recipe with some buttered bread or toast and makes a nice change from a greasier fry up, pancakes or whatever your usual fodder is.

I've experimented with this recipe and here I have used Heck Chicken Chipolatas which are 99 calories for two, but have also used with ordinary pork chipolatas (delicious) and if you're vegetarian or even vegan you could make this with some Quorn or other veggie sausages too - a great all rounder.

A portion of the below comes in at 416 calories and the below serves three adult portions (or in our case two adults and two small people).

I use chipotle paste to inject a lovely smoky flavour here as well as a fresh green chilli for some heat - omit the chilli if you're not keen on spice.

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

Here's how:

• 12 Heck Chicken Chipolatas
• 1/2 tin baked beans (I use Heinz)
• 1 tin red kidney beans
• 1 carrot
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 shallots
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 green chilli
• Spray of fry light spray

You can grill the sausages if you prefer - but I throw them into the pan, skillet or wok I'm using first to cook through, then remove from the pan.

Whilst the sausages are cooking I prepare everything else. Firstly mince the garlic, finely dice the onion and slice the chilli. Peel and grate the carrot (this is to give the sauce an extra veggie goodness without small people realising!). 

Once the sausages are out of the pan; add the shallots, chilli and garlic and saute until soft. 

Now add the tomatoes and carrot and season. Allow to cook out for five minutes.

Now add all of the beans, and the chipotle paste and cook for a further few minutes. 

Return the sausages to the pan and cook for a further ten minutes until the sauce is bubbling away and smells beautifully smoky.

Serve with sliced bread and butter. Enjoy!