Sunday Roast is over... Lets make soup!

Everyone loves a good roast - but we don't all make the most of everything it has to offer. After all, a roast takes some (albeit enjoyable) time to prepare and cook. So why not get more from your next Sunday Roast....and make some soup!?!

All you'll need are the left over bones, some vegetables and spices/herbs. I'm going to talk you through a couple of chicken based recipes, but there's no stopping you using any other kind of meat as a base.

Serving: One medium chicken carcass will give you around 5 servings

Method
1) First step is to make some stock - place the bones in a large saucepan and add 3 pints of boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40mins with a lid on the saucepan

TIP: Try and remove most of the fatty parts left on the bones, as otherwise you'll end up with a fat layer that you'll have to remove at the end - which can be tricky.

2) Well that was easy, you've just got some fresh and immenslely tasty stock. Next take your choice of vegetables (around 2 medium bowls full, roughly chopped) and place them in the boiling stock.

3) Season and then add herbs/spices if your chosen soup requires them

4) Simmer for another 25mins, until vegetables are soft

5) Take off the heat and blend - make it as lumpy or as smooth as you like. If you prefer thick soup, add some cornflour (remember to mix it with cold water before adding it to the soup) or thickening granules

6) And you're done - so simple and so much cheaper/healthier than soups you buy in shops!

I love making the most of our Sunday Roast - I find it so satisfying to take all the chicken off the bones, saving that for another meal and then making stock/soup from the left overs as well! You can use the fresh tasty stock just as stock with other recipes if you don't fancy making soup out of it.

So there's your very basic soup recipe. Below are a couple of my favourite vegetable/herbs/spices combinations using a chicken base. But don't forget - experiment! Try adding lentils for a thicker more warming result (great for a wintery day), cream, or even noodles.

Spicy Butternut Squash - Try adding cayenne pepper, cumin, a small amount of chilli powder and of course butternut squash (1 whole butternut squash would do around 4 servings)










Roasted Pepper & Sweet Potato - This is great if you roast the peppers and sweet potatoes before adding them to the stock (if you do this, you'll only need to simmer the veg for 5-10mins). Add lots of fresh herbs - I like thyme and a little rosemary.






Stock Tip: If you have some leftover stock or don't fancy soup - try freezing it in ice-cube trays so you'll always have fresh 'stock cubes' to use at a moments notice

Experiment and find your favourite soup :)