The Art of a Good Soup

A great soup costs little, uses up what you have, and warms you through like almost nothing else. Here's the simple framework behind every good bowl.

The most forgiving thing you can cook

Soup is where good cooks start, and where leftovers go to become wonderful. It's cheap, flexible and very hard to truly ruin. Once you understand the basic framework, you can make soup out of almost anything.

The framework behind (almost) every soup

Sweat aromatics. Gently cook onion, and often garlic, celery or carrot, in a little oil or butter until soft. This is your flavour base.
Add your main ingredients. Vegetables, pulses, or whatever you're building around.
Add liquid. Stock or water, enough to cover.
Simmer until everything is tender.
Season and finish. Salt, pepper, a squeeze of acid, maybe cream or herbs.

That's the whole thing. A Moroccan carrot soup and a creamy tomato soup follow exactly the same shape.

Blended or chunky?

Blended soups feel smooth and elegant, great for vegetables like tomato, carrot or broccoli and stilton.
Chunky and brothy soups feel hearty and rustic, perfect for noodles and bigger pieces, as in a Thai curry noodle soup or salmon noodle soup.

Build deeper flavour

Don't rush the aromatics at the start. That's where the flavour is born.
Use good stock, or boost water with a stock cube, a spoon of miso, or a parmesan rind.
Finish brightly with lemon, vinegar or fresh herbs to lift everything, which is the trick behind a punchy tom yum soup.