Cool It: 5 Chilled Recipes That Prove It’s Always Soup Season

It may be summer, but that’s no reason to stash away your soup bowls for the season. For, just as soup comforts and warms through the winter months, when summer hits, so its ice-cold iteration cools and refreshes. There is nothing quite so elegant as a really good bowl of chilled soup: it’s the kind of dish that conjures long lunches beneath vine-draped pergolas and glasses clinking with something cold and crisp. But while gazpacho might be the poster child, the world of summer soups runs far deeper. From creamy cucumber to zingy tomato-strawberry hybrids, these recipes are as refreshing as a dip in the Med. We can but dream.

Fresh Tomato & Strawberry Gazpacho

BBC


Ever thought of serving up your tomatoes with strawbs for a dose of double deep red joy? Well, take this as your cue to make this the summer to give the idea a spin. Balancing the acidity with welcome sweetness, this chilled, garlicky, vinegary number is perfect for slurping through a heatwave. Get the recipe.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Love & Lemons


There’s a reason that the saying ‘cool as a cucumber’ was coined. Along with watermelon, it is the closest to a drink of water that a food can realistically get. It comes as little surprise then that the cucumber edition of gazpacho is particularly refreshing. Simply scatter some crunchy toppings (Love & Lemons suggests corn) and add a crisp glass of cold white wine – and you’re all set: the chilled soup of summer dreams. Get the recipe.

Chilled Peach Soup With Goat’s Cheese

Food & Wine


We love our sweet summer peaches paired with salty savoury goodness, and this recipe is an exercise in balancing flavour to dazzling, moreish perfection. To nail the depth, marinade the peaches overnight with dried apricots, honey, vinegar and olive oil before puréeing the next day. Cool, sweet, layered, delicious. Get the recipe.

Ajo Blanco

Delicious Magazine


One sip of this refreshing soup – also known as white gazpacho – transports you straight to Spain’s sun-drenched south coast. The silky creaminess of the almonds! The burst of sweetness from the grapes! The tartness of the vinegar! It is the perfect way to cool down after a hard day’s holidaying. Get the recipe.

Chilled Green Soup With Feta

BBC Good Food


Creamy avocado and tangy feta will forever be one of our favourite salad staples. But for something extra refreshing this summer, why not whizz the delicious duo up into a soup, alongside lemon, cucumber, natural yogurt, basil and a chilli for some balancing heat amongst all those cooling ingredients? Top with toasted seeds for added flavour and crunch – et voila, the perfect soup for lazy summer lunches al fresco. Get the recipe.