Soups are something which is great for using left overs up including stocks made earlier in the weeks cooking for example. Once you start to expeiment making your own soups you will never return to tinned or brought soups again the taste is delicious and you can add your own twists on common soup recipes.

Also soups start to be ideal as we look for something a little warmer may be for lunch time at work. The beauty of homemade soup is you know exatcly what ingredients have gone into making it. So no added preservatives, colourants etc and with a few handy pots you can simply freeze you soup portions for later use which can be reheaten in the microwave for convenience.

Try to use foods which are in season as I had a abundance of tomatoes from the poly tunnel and also looking for some great vitamin C to boost our imune systems as viruses and bugs start there annual desent onto us I couldn’t think of a better soup than Tomato or which you can make different versions to suit your tastes.

So for a great Tomato Soup you are going to need: 25g butter, 1 medium chopped onion, 1 small chopped potato, 600g fresh tomatoes quartered, 1 garlic clove crushed, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbls tomato puree, 450ml vegetable or chicken stock, 450ml milk and salt and pepper to taste plys parsley to garnish.

Fry the onion in the melted butter until soft then add the potato, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, tomato puree and stock before bringing to the boil and shimmering gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the potato is soft. Remove your bay leaf, add the milk and liquidise the soup using a hand blender (or you could press through a sieve if you do not have a blender). Return your soup to the saucepan and reheat before seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper then garnish with parsley and serve.

As I have taught you all before try different variations on this recipe by for instance adding grated rind and juice of a orange or add 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp parsley and 1 tsp worcester sauce with some crispy diced pancetta and small congigli pasta for a Italian take on Tomato soup.

Check out my previous blog Your dessert island kitchen blender, or another great soup recipe in my previous blog fasta pasta and my previous blog microwave magic in stock for a great quick way to make homemade stock great to use in soups, casseroles and sauces.

Blenders are great kitchen gadgets which aid the cook tremendously, take a look at the selection available of hand blenders. One I like and have used is the Breville VHB014 Stainless Steel Hand Blender Set 

The Breville VHB014 Stainless Steel Hand Blender Set has everything you need in one, a hand blender, electric whisk and chopper. A great addition to any kitchen.

• Powerful 400 watt motor for professional results
• 2 Speeds
• Brushed stainless steel body & leg
• 700ml beaker
• Ergonomic handle

Why not tell us about the product you use to blend with in your recipes?

Recently with my son moving away from home I was well arming him with some classic cookery recipes for him to cook for himself. With students out and about all hours and also on a tight budget, alot of his cookery lessons where based on nutritious, fast and easy recipes to cook on a budget.

One recipe which Ed loves and is finding easy to cook, as he put it in the oven and leaves it to cook while he gets himself a shower and returns to a tasty dish of baked courgette and tuna risotto.

You will need: 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, 200g arborio rice, chicken stock (homemade or cubes), 400g chopped tomatoes, 1 onion finelt chopped, 1 chopped chilli (to add a kick if you like this or obmit this out), 2 x 185g tinned tuna ( you can use fresh which has been steamed or griddled), 3 finely sliced courgettes and basil leaves and grated parmesan to serve but optional. (Ed has also been know to add peas to this recipe too for another option)

Heat your oven to 200 C/ fan 180 C/ gas 6 and heat a large flameproof casserole dish with a lid over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion and chilli (if you want a kick) with some sea salt and stir for around 5 minutes until the onions are soft, then add your rice and stir again for another minute. Make up 375ml stock and add to your rice with the chopped tomatoes and bring this to shimmering point. Stir in the tuna and courgettes and season with fresh black pepper. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until the rice is cooked. To serve scatter basil leaves and sprinkle parmesan over the finished dish and serve with crusty bread.

Don’t forget this will serve 4 so if your appetite is big as is Ed’s plate up half and place in the refridgerator for tomorow or freeze for another day.

Whats your favourite quick recipe? Have you taught certain recipes to your children who are now students cooking away from home, then let us know how they are getting on and what recipes they like!

See my previous blog It may be compact but its easy to use and cheap to run for a great gadget for students to cook with away from home, and Starting from scratch essentials for the kitchen blog or search for my easy recipes like this easy recipe for a italian supper.

Year on year even though I plant simular vegetables in my vegetables plot, the crops differ. Alot of this is down to the typical British Summer Time, if you can call it that. It seems each year earlier and earlier the leaves start falling and differing fruits or vegetables are affected by the monsoon rains we experience with high humidity, followed by damp cold days and then scortching hot days. In these extremes its not only us that suffer.

This week my friend Allyson was only telling me how all her apples had fallen in her orchard so we were busy collecting apples to try to save the fruit. Again Blackberries have been turning earlier and earlier on the hedgerows. This year my potato crop had to be harvested early due to the heavy rain destroying the tops supplying nutrients to the root vegetables below ground and my poor outdoor tomatoes. Well these were terrible this year and again fruit fell and the plant suffered in the weather. However I had a fantastic crop of large cauliflowers!

Anyway with bags of apples in hand we set about baking and preserving. One of our favourite is our homemade Apple & Tomato Chutney.

You will need: 1.3kg apples, 1.3kg tomatoes, 2 large onions, 2 garlic cloves, 250g pitted dates, 2 red bell peppers, 3 dried red chillies, 1 tblsp black peppercorns, 4 cardamon pods, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp sea salt, 600ml distilled malt vinegar & 1kg sugar

First peel and chop your apples, tomatoes, onions & garlic. Quarter the dates and core and seed the peppers before cutting into chunky pieces. Put all but the peppers into a preserving pan. Slit the chillies, put the peppercorns & remaining spices into a mortar and roughly crush with a pestle then add the chillies, spices & salt to the pan. Pour in the vinegar and sugar and simmer for around 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the red peppers and cook for a further 30 minutes stirring as the chutney becomes thicker. Spoon the chutney into warm, dry sterilised jars. Seal each with a waxed circle and cover with a tightly fitting cellofane top and leave to cool before labelling and storing away in a cool dry place ready to be used.

If you like making homemade jams and chutneys you should check out my previous blogs filled with great tasty easy to make recipes and for more fun why not see the great storage jars I used in my blog how berry nice to meet you for some great ideas. Also perfect raspberry jam for your toast and cakes, homemade tastes so much better!