Small daughter absolutely loves this soup, it’s a close second to leek and potato for her. I have to say that I was a bit surprised that she took to it the way that she did when I first made it – I expected a bit more resistance to a soup other than leek and potato – but it’s a pleasant green colour, slightly creamy from the Brie and is actually just a very nice soup so there’s nothing for her not to like! Fancy having a go yourself? Like the leek and potato soup I showed you a couple of weeks ago, there’s not a lot to it. Tonight, it’s courgette and Brie, a recipe which I originally found in my Covent Garden soup book but as usual am too lazy busy to follow exactly so have adapted to my throw-it-all-in-the-pot style. Improv cooking at it’s best! Rinse the courgettes, remove the top and bottom, then chop roughly into rings. (If you’re not going to blend your soup then you might want to take a little more care over this bit, but as I blitz it all then I don’t worry too much about the size.) Add to the pan. I’m using my usual Portmeirion casserole but you can use any large pan. Put on the pan on the stove and bring to the boil. At this point, I put my pan in the bottom (simmering) oven of my Aga and it will sit there until I’m ready to put the soup in the blender. You can get the same effect from a conventional oven on a very low light (ideal if you’re out at work all day) or in a slow cooker. You only need to cook the vegetables until they’re soft so even if you’re in a bit of a hurry, it will only take about 20 minutes to make your soup if you don’t have time to leave the pan.

Soup for Every Day: 365 of Our Favourite Recipes by New Soup for Every Day: 365 of Our Favourite Recipes by New

Slater finishes his soup with toasted cumin seeds, olive oil and microgreens, Tovey tops his with chopped parsley and serves croutons on the side, and Singh-Watson gives a whole list of garnish suggestions that, in addition to some of the above, includes toasted almonds, orange flower water, walnut, hazelnut and sesame oil and “one heaped teaspoon of ground mixed Moroccan spices, such as caraway and cumin with a little hot chilli”. If you’re short of time, or would just prefer to use that time otherwise (ie, eating the soup), you could easily just sprinkle chopped fresh coriander on top. My bright, green coriander puree is not just for show, however – dissolved in oil, the flavour of the herb is richer, and more intense, than my teenage self could ever dream of. Strictly speaking, Slater’s recipe is billed as a spiced carrot soup, and he adds cumin and chilli as well, while New Covent Garden suggests a sprinkling of nutmeg, which is a nice idea in a creamier soup, though I’m going to keep my version strictly coriander-focused.