Vegetable Soups

Soups are such a perfect light meal. They are often very healthy (my soups are at least), they are often very cheap to make, they can be frozen to be reheated and enjoyed later and they can contain an almost endless ingredients list. Which means that if there are poorly looking vegetables lying around in the fridge, you can toss them in the soup and just blend it to oblivion. Leftover rice or pasta are also perfect for making the soup more substantial and filling. If you have soup for dinner and unexpected dinner guests, you can make the soup go a long, long way by serving freshly baked bread with it. Take my word for it, people will develop a serious food-crush on you.

4 Market Place Cafe's Broccoli and Leek Soup

Maria and Pete are dear friends of ours who used to own and run a cafe called 4 Market Place in central London (very close to where we used to live).

Asparagus Soup

I could not believe my taste buds when I first tried out this asparagus soup. It was so good and not at all what I had envisioned when I set out to create a more healthy version of the soup.

Autumn Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

This must be the perfect autumn soup! It is warming, slightly sweet (not too much though), mild and packed with vitamin C. This soup is quite popular with kids and easy on the stomach.

Black Bean and Sweetcorn Soup

This is an easy mid-week soup, perfect for the left over vegetables found at the back of the fridge.

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Since we don't have a very warm climate in Iceland our only hope for growing something we can eat is potatoes and hardy vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, beets, carrots etc.

Cauliflower Soup

I remember when I was a young girl (ok not THAT long ago), the kids in my neighbourhood used to attend a large garden where each kid had a plot for growing vegetables (we are not able to grow

Chickpea Soup

I love Jamie Oliver's recipes and his whole philosophy on and approach to food, which is "use organic, local ingredients and avoid the junk". This is an adaptation of one of his recipes.

Coconut and Lime Soup

This soup is amazingly versatile as the base itself is perfect for all kinds of vegetables, sea food or even chicken or rice.

Dhal (Lentil Soup) with Pumpkin and Coconut Milk

I actually had to bake this soup in an oven proof baking dishes since the gas on my stove finished, just in the middle of my cooking!

East African Vegetable Soup with Nuts and Sweet Potatoes

This is a substantial soup and for those who think that soups are "not a meal" (like my dear father), think again because with all these ingredients you can't help but feel satisfied and full.

Egg-drop Soup with Sweetcorn

This is a very cheap, easy and simple soup to make and is light as well. I really like that combination! I often make this recipe mid week when time is limited.

Hadda's Tomato Soup

Hadda Fjola Reykdal is a friend of mine I met in art school. We studied the beautiful art of printmaking (a technique which I absolutely adore) although she is now a renowned painter.

Hot and Sour Mushroom Broth

This recipe is an adaptation of a similar recipe I found in a book called Veggie Chic by the great author Rose Elliot.

Lentil and Spinach Soup

If you are thinking of a recipe to serve on your first date, this is definitely not it! Lets just say that you will come under some "pressure" ha ha.

Mango- and Ginger Soup from Masai Mara, Kenya

I got this recipe from a girl called Margaret Ngugi, a chef at Mara Simba Lodge in Masai Mara, Kenya during one of my trips there in February 2007.

Mulligatawny (Indian Vegetable Soup)

This soup is Anglo-Indian i.e. the influence is both from Asia and Europe.

Mushroom Soup

I think I would have to vote this one of my all time favourite soup recipes. It is simple, cheap, easy and that is always a good combination in my view.

Simple Trail Noodle Soup

I know it is probably much quicker buying ready made trail food but let me tell you...most of what is sold out there is rubbish.

Thai Laksa

I know that the recipe seems very, very complicated.

The Cheapest Soup

I don't know if in your part of the world you have a soup called "Nail Soup" as we do in Iceland...you probably do though....most households must have the kind of soup which is so cheap it almost costs nothing and to which you might add every vegetable left over in your fridge or freezer and it still tastes ok.

Wild Mushrooms and Noodles Trail Soup

Me and my husband are keen hikers. We love nothing more than packing our bags on a Friday evening, heading into the Icelandic wilderness.

Zanzibar Carrot and Coconut Soup

This soup reminds me a lot of a soup I had at the Archipelago restaurant, Zanzibar in September 2007.

Zanzibar Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

This recipe is from a book called Zanzibar Kitchen and is a favourite of mine.

Zanzibar Tomato Soup

I have lost the count of how many tomato soups I have eaten during my travels in Africa (Eastern-Africa).