Hale & Hearty: 3 Soups To Keep You Full And Nourished

The days of the tail end of winter can sometimes be the moment when we crave comfort the most. Just as the night is darkest just before the dawn, so the season can feel chillier than ever in its swan song – even as the landscape is awakening and spring is stirring beneath the soil. We, for one, are still very much in comfort mode and, as we await a welcome dose of spring sunshine, we are taking solace in simmering pots, savoury aromas and the heartiest of soups. Warming, sustaining and good for us, there's nothing quite like a steaming bowl of soup to soothe the soul and satisfy the appetite. Here we present a collection of our staple hearty soups for eating by the fire or loading up in a flask for a wintry picnic.

Celeriac And Brown Butter Soup With Crispy Kale

Delicious Magazine


To the uninitiated, celeriac can seem like one of those confounding vegetables, often left to languish on the supermarket shelf thanks to its unshowy looks and reluctance to offer obvious delights. And yet delightful it can truly be, its velvety texture and mild earthy flavour offering goodness aplenty – all of which is only enhanced in this lovely soup. Add butter, kale, bay, chicken stock and a squeeze of lemon and you have a recipe for a luxuriant and hearty bowl bathed in butter with a depth of flavour that makes this a winner, whether as a dinner party starter or a mid-week supper. Get the recipe.

Chestnut Soup With Bacon & Thyme Croutons

Delia Smith


You can rely on Delia to know exactly what we need and crave at any given time. Chestnuts are, for us, one of the most delicious and comforting flavours of wintertime. Distilled into a soup, they are even more so. And, in true Delia style, she makes things as manageable for us as possible, simply instructing us to place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer for 45 minutes while we prep the croutons. Served with a glass of red, this soup is perfection. Get the recipe.

Goulash Soup

Delicious Magazine


If you are looking for a soup that will fill up the troops with good, nourishing things, then this take on the traditional Hungarian Goulash stew, here is stew form, is unbeatable. Simmer organic beef shin or stewing steak slowly along with onions, carrots, tomato purée, potatoes and beef stock, and then top with soured cream. Easy, healthy and exactly the kind of hearty fare we long for after a long walk or a day in the garden, prepping the soil for the days of spring that stretch ahead. Get the recipe.

By Nancy Alsop
February 2024