Souper Trouper

I found a few mushrooms and a rather sad looking bunch of celery at the back of the fridge and what better thing to do than to turn these into some soup for lunch? Just a handful of ingredients made a really satisfying meal.

Mushroom soup - a warm hug in a bowl

Food waste is a big problem and by whizzing up some soup, you can breath new life into those leftover bits of veg that could otherwise so easily end up being thrown away. Definitely a feel-good meal on many levels!

 Mushroom Soup (serves 2)

Ingredients:   

1 tsp vegetable oil, a handful of mushrooms (chopped), 1 - 2 sticks of celery (chopped), 1 medium-sized leek (chopped), 1 vegetable stock cube, a pinch of dried sage or thyme,1 tbsp of cream
Optional: 1 tsp of brandy, 1 - 2 bay leaves

Method:

1. Heat the oil and gently fry the chopped vegetables until soft
2. Add herbs and brandy (if using) and crumble in the stock cube
3. Pour over enough water to create the wanted consistency - you may like your soup thicker or thinner, so start of with using a little water and then add to it gradually
4. Once the vegetables have cooked for a few minutes, remove the bay leaves (if using) and take the soup of the heat
5. Blend the soup with a hand blender - again, you may want it really smooth or with a few mushroom chunks left in, so blending time depends on the consistency you prefer. A couple of minutes should do the trick.
6. Add the cream and stir - ready to serve either eaten on its own or with a bit of bread on the side