Recipe

Wildcats Winter Root Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

Make this soup at the weekend and it will keep in the fridge to be heated up during the week for a quick meal. You could make loads for a school activity. Serving hot soup to chilly supporters at winter sporting events, such as football or netball matches, will make you really popular! It’s a real winter warmer.

Ingredients:

  • 1 potato
  • 1 parsnip
  • 2 turnips OR 1 swede
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1×5ml spoon vegetable oil
  • 1×400g can mixed beans
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 1×5ml spoon dried mixed herbs or a handful of fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary)
  • Black pepper

Equipment:

  • Colander
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Chopping board
  • Sharp knife (please get an adult to help you)
  • Garlic crusher
  • Scissors (optional)
  • Measuring spoons
  • Large saucepan with lid
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring jug
  • Can opener
  • Kettle
  • Blender (optional)

Method:

  1. Wash the potato, parsnip, turnips or swede and carrot.
  2. Peel and chop them into small cubes (about the size of a dice). The skin on a swede is quite thick, so you may need to do this carefully with a sharp knife rather then a vegetable peeler. Slice the ends off the swede and place one of the flat sides onto the chopping board, then slice it into a large cube. This makes it easier to chop into small pieces.
  3. Peel and slice the onion into small pieces.
  4. Peel and crush the garlic. If using fresh herbs, finely chop them using scissors.
  5. Heat the vegetable oil in the saucepan over a high heat. Add the crushed garlic and all the chopped vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir regularly.
  6. Boil the kettle, crumble the vegetable stock cube into the measuring jug and add 1 litre of boiling water. Stir until the stock cube has dissolved. Pour the stock into the saucepan.
  7. Open the can of beans and drain them. Add the drained beans to the saucepan.
  8. Stir in the fresh or dried herbs and black pepper. Turn the hob down to low heat, place the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Top tips

To check if the soup is ready, simply use a spoon to taste it (let it cool for a bit first!). You can add more black pepper if you like, or if the vegetables are still a bit crunchy, leave them to cook for 10 minutes longer.

This makes a chunky soup but if you prefer smooth soup, allow the soup to cool a little, then blend until smooth, return to the saucepan and reheat.