As autumn is coming to an end and the endless winter rain begins to fall, what could be cosier than a comforting bowl of warm soup? Soup is both powerful and versatile: it can be restorative on sick days yet humble enough to be adaptable to whatever you have in your cupboard. Whilst many soups can be easily enjoyed from a can, there is a quiet satisfaction of knowing you’ve made something so delicious entirely from scratch—plus, making your own soup is a great way to sneak in a good few of your five a day.

We’ve put together the ultimate guide to hearty soups—three recipes that promise to warm you from the inside out. Charli’s creamy chicken noodle soup brings a touch of nostalgia, Abby’s veggie scouse celebrates regional culture, and my broccoli and stilton soup adds a touch of bright colour to these grey autumn days.

 

Charli’s Chicken Noodle Soup

I came up with this soup recipe a few months ago whilst I was back home making dinner for my mum, sister and me. It was early March, not quite Spring yet as the Winter chill hung in the air, and I felt that we needed something delicious and comforting for the evening, and it helps that soup is my sister’s all-time-favourite food. I love this soup because it’s very adaptable; the vegetables used below are simply the ones we had in the fridge at the time, but you can use anything you have on hand. Now, as we shift into Autumn, I hope this soup can help you to make these colder nights a little bit warmer.

Ingredients:

• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 packet of green beans, chopped
• 2-3 medium carrots, chopped into half-circles
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1-2 cooked chicken breasts shredded (tip: once the chicken is cooked, either grilled or pan-seared, then use two forks to tear the chicken apart until shredded).
• 120ml double cream
• 250g (uncooked weight) pasta, e.g., fusilli or penne
• Seasonings: ½ tsp cumin, 1½ tsp mixed herbs/Italian herb seasoning, ¼ tsp chilli flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Get your large, lidded pot on the stove and add a splash of neutral oil (olive/vegetable) to the bottom. Heat the oil on a medium heat and add the diced onions, then turn down the heat and caramelise until golden-brown.
2. Add the minced garlic and stir in until fragrant, then add the chopped green beans and carrots. Sauté for a few minutes.
3. Add the cumin, mixed herbs, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and continue to stir.
4. Add the cooked shredded chicken, stir in, then add the chicken stock and turn up the heat to bring to a boil.
5. Then, turn down the heat and stir in the cream, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Lastly, add the uncooked pasta, stir in and add the lid to the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and serve.

Words by Charlotte Shadrach

Scouse Recipe

Soup season in Liverpool means one thing: a pan of scouse. If you’ve ever wondered why people in Liverpool are referred to as ‘scousers’, they’re named after this iconic stew, a cousin of Welsh cawl. The beauty of this one-pot dish is that it’s perfect for using up your leftovers, cheap and easy to make, and really warms the cockles of your heart. This is the recipe I grew up with, with some creative additions of my own, made veggie.

Ingredients (to be taken with a pinch of salt – throw anything in):

• Onion
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Parsnips
• Vegetarian broth cubes
• Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
• Herbs (thyme, parsley)
• Gravy granules
• A splash of red wine for depth
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water

All of these ingredients can be swapped out for whatever veggies you have in the cupboard. I sometimes add broccoli, celery, sweet potato, leeks or mushrooms. A lot of people add beer to their scouse, but I prefer to add a splash of red wine for the richness. Others add mustard, marmite or even miso paste. Scouse is all about experimenting.

Method:

1. Roughly chop your vegetables, you want them chunky and wonky
2. Sauté your onions and garlic in a big pot
3. Add some boiled water and vegetable stock, then chuck in your veggies
4. Add a drop of Worcestershire sauce, a splash of red wine, your herbs, salt, pepper, and gravy granules until the broth thickens. Let it cook on a low heat until your potatoes are nice and soft.

Scouse is best served with a butter-slathered slice of crusty bread, and some pickled cabbage (shop-bought will do). It’s best enjoyed as a pick-me-up when you’re counting down the days until payday, you’re coming down with a cold, and it’s raining outside.

Words by Abby Neve

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Growing up, my brother and I were among the rare few children who adored broccoli. Its vivid green colour and tiny tree shape turned dinner into a mini adventure. As we grew older, our palates expanded, but one dish has never lost its charm—broccoli and stilton soup. The broccoli brings a clean, earthy freshness; the stilton adds a bold, tangy depth; and the velvety potato brings it all together, lending it a hearty texture. It’s a soup that feels incredibly nostalgic—a comforting reminder of childhood dinners, reimagined for cold evenings and grown-up tastes.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):  

• 1/2 brown onion, diced
• 1/2 leek, sliced into small strips  
• 1/2 large potato, roughly chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 broccoli, stalks cut off and kept in a separate bowl, tops chopped into florets  
• Butter, as much as you’d like!
• 500 ml of your stock of choice
• Stilton, crumbled, as much as you’d like!

Method:

1. Heat some oil on medium heat in a pot and add in your diced onion.
2. Once the onion softens and turns translucent, add your potato and sauté until lightly browned.
3. Add in your strips of leek, sauté until slightly softened then add in a lump of butter.
4. Cover your pot with a lid until the ingredients slightly soften.
5. Add your stock then add the broccoli stalks.
6. Cover with lid until stalks are cooked. Check that the potatoes are about ready too!
7. Add in the broccoli florets then season with salt, black pepper, and optionally, some mixed herbs.
8. Cook until all ingredients are soft and tender.
9. Remove pot from heat and blend with a hand-held blender until smooth but thick (you can get a hand-held blender from as little as £12 from your local supermarket and they’re especially handy for soup season).
10. Stir in a generous amount of crumbled stilton and you’re done!
11. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper, a side of buttered bread, and some more cheeky stilton.

Words by Eiriana Zhou

Featured image courtesy of Ruth Georgiev via Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.