New photo Learn how to cook a tasty soup to keep you warm during the colder months with Mrs Crunch’s money-saving tips

SOUP can be comforting, nutritious and packed with flavour. It is easy to nip to the shops but there is nothing quite as satisfying as making your own.

Here are four soups for midweek suppers, a filling lunch or even weekend guests. You are guaranteed to bowl them over.

There are so many ways to get creative with soups

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Tom Yum noodle soup

(Serves 2 – £3.10 per person)

Replace the prawns with chicken if you prefer and use whatever noodles you have to hand

Preparation: 5 mins.

Cooking: 20 mins

• YOU NEED:
  
  1 litre vegetable stock


• 2 lemon grass stalks, bruised and cut into 1cm lengths


• 5cm piece of ginger, peeled


• 6 kaffir lime leaves, bruised


• 1 fresh red chilli, sliced (remove seeds if you don’t like too much heat)


• 1 fresh green chilli, sliced (remove seeds if you don’t like too much heat)


• 3 tbsp fish sauce


• Juice of 2 limes


• 2 tbsp Morrisons chilli paste


• ½ tsp brown sugar


• ½ tsp salt


• ½ small onion, cut into small squares


• ½ tomato, cut into thin wedges


• 4 button mushrooms, sliced


• 150g raw king prawns


• 1 pack (360g) Morrisons rice noodles


• Handful of coriander

METHOD:

1. Put vegetable stock, lemon grass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and chillies into a large saucepan.


2. Over a medium high heat, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes.


3. Turn the heat to medium high and add the fish sauce, lime juice, chilli paste, sugar and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your preference.


4. Add the onions, tomatoes and mushrooms and let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until onions are almost soft.


5. Add the prawns and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the prawns are almost cooked through.


6. Add the noodles, garnish with coriander and serve immediately.

Mushroom soup

(Serves 2 – 90p per person)

For a lower-fat option you can use low-calorie cooking spray and swap the cream for half-fat creme fraiche

Alamy

Preparation time: 10 mins.

Cooking time: 25 mins

YOU NEED:

• 50g butter
  
  2 shallots, finely chopped


• 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped


• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped


• Fresh thyme, leaves from 2 stems


• 400g mushrooms, wiped and roughly chopped


• 600ml vegetable stock


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 100ml double cream


• Fresh parsley, for garnish


• Mushrooms, finely chopped, for garnish

METHOD:

1. Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the shallots, celery, garlic and thyme for five minutes until softened but not brown.


2. Add the mushrooms and fry gently for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally.


3. Pour in the stock and season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for ten minutes until the mushrooms are very tender.


4. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for five minutes. Puree the soup with a stick blender or transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.


5. Stir the cream into the puréed soup and heat through gently for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve in warmed bowls, garnished with parsley and chopped mushroom.

Leek and chickpea soup

(Serves 4 – 86p per person)

Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or pesto

Preparation: 10 mins.

Cooking: 20 mins

YOU NEED:

• 2 cans chickpeas drained, approx 450g after drained


• 1 medium potato, peeled; diced


• 4 large leeks, thinly sliced


• 1tbsp olive oil


• 2 cloves garlic, crushed


• 3 vegetable stock cubes


• 800ml water


• 30g grated Parmesan cheese


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp pepper

METHOD:

• Add the oil to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Then add all the remaining ingredients apart from the Parmesan into the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes and check the potatoes are cooked before using a hand blender to puree the soup to the consistency you like.


• At this stage taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.


• Take off the heat and add in the Parmesan just before serving. Stir through and serve in warmed bowls.

Pumpkins and coconut soup

(Serves 4 – 61p per person)

Try serving with an extra swirl of coconut milk or, if you prefer, a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, chopped rosemary or chopped chillies

Alamy

Preparation time: 5 mins.

Cooking time: 20 mins

YOU NEED:

• 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste


• Flesh from 1 large pumpkin, chopped into cubes


• 500ml vegetable stock, either fresh or made from 3 stock cubes


• 200ml coconut milk


• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced


• 15g fresh coriander, chopped

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METHOD:

1. Put the chilli paste into a large saucepan and gently stir-fry for a minute. Add the pumpkin, stirring well, and then pour in the stock.


2. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and gently heat through for another four to five minutes. Use a hand blender to puree the soup.


3. Season to taste and serve garnished with the chilli and coriander. If you are feeling adventurous, serve inside the empty pumpkin shell.

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News Pictures Learn how to cook a tasty soup to keep you warm during the colder months with Mrs Crunch’s money-saving tips

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TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

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Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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