Winter Vegetable Soup

It’s sooooo cold at the moment, we all need something that will really warm us up and make us appreciate the seasons, rather than complain about them! This recipe was inspired by our cookery club at school. The children were testing their knife skills and making a plain winter vegetable soup, the recipe taken from the ‘Let’s Get Cooking’ website.

2 turnips OR 1 swede
1 parsnip
1 potato
1 carrot
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 x can mixed beans
1 x 5ml spoon dried mixed
herbs or a handful of fresh
herbs (oregano, thyme,
rosemary)
1 litre water
1 vegetable stock cube
1 x 5ml spoon vegetable oil
Black pepper

Now, I used whatever was in the fridge – parsnip, carrot, potato, onion and lots of herbs. I think that was it!

1. Wash the potato, parsnip, turnips or swede and carrot. Peel and chop into small cubes

2. Peel and slice the onion into small pieces.

3. Peel and crush the garlic. If using fresh herbs, finely chop them using scissors.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in the saucepan over a high heat. Add the crushed garlic and all the chopped vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir regularly.

5. Dissolve the stock cube in a litre of water and pour into the pan.

6. Drain the beans and add them to the saucepan.

7. Stir in the fresh or dried herbs and black pepper. Turn the hob down to a low heat, place the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

I then added loads of salt and pepper, blended until smooth, toasted a few croutons, grated some cheese and served piping hot!