With the weather well and truly cold, it’s a great time to bed down with a big bowl of soup. I am a lover of making soups using root vegetables and potatoes, stock and spices. However, if you have very little space and are struggling under the pressure of Covid, these tomato soups might be a great way to enjoy a basic tin and feel like you have prepared something special.

Soup 1 The sausage and smoked bacon soup bake

Step 1:
Slice the fat off 2 pieces of organic smoked bacon and wrap each one around your sausages. I tried to think about the flavours and also supporting a local business, so bought apple and wild bore sausages from the Hampstead Butcher.

Step 2:
Place your sausages in a terracotta clay dish, drizzle some olive oil with white truffle essence over your sausages, a pinch of salt and pepper and cover with foil.

Gas mark 180 for 20 Minutes. Then take the foil off and pour the fat out. Once the oil and fat has been removed put the dish back into the oven for a further 20 minutes and bake as desired.

• 

• 

Step 3:
Slice a chilly and place into a saucepan with a tin of soup. I chose Heinz tomato soup but any soup will do. One the chilly has been added also add a pinch of cayenne pepper and reduced the soup down for around 10 minutes. Once the soup has cooked and the chilly has softened then it is ready to serve.

Soup 2 Garlic bread and tomato soup moat

For the soup moat and garlic bread, I did the same thing but added mushrooms and fried them first in a shallow frying pan with the chilly. Garnished with fresh flat parsley sprigs.

You can add anything you want to tinned soups. Peas, sweet corn, kidney beans, split peas, turmeric, veggie mince, tofu and many other things. Be creative and use your tin as a base for something more exciting.

One thing that you should remember, is that soups are a great way to get good wholesome food into your diet. They are super healthy and will make you feel good. Positive food, positive mood!