Souper heroes! Nutritious, delicious and easy on the pocket, these wholesome and warming broths will bowl you over…

SPICY SALMON AND COCONUT SOUP

Serves 4

• ½tbsp oil
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 lemongrass stems, bashed
• 4 lime leaves (from supermarkets)
• 1 small chilli, finely sliced
• 200ml tin of coconut milk
• 1-2tbsp Thai tom yum paste (from supermarkets)
• 750g (1lb 10oz) fish or vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 500g (1lb 2oz) salmon (approx 4 large salmon fillets)
• 200g (7oz) cooked rice
• 100g (3½oz) cooked mangetout
• A handful of coriander

Heat the oil in a large, lidded pan.

Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, half the chilli, the coconut milk, tom yum paste and fish or vegetable stock. Stir and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Season the salmon and grill for 5-6 minutes or until just cooked. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

To serve, add some cooked rice and mangetout to four bowls. 

Ladle in the soup, then flake the grilled salmon over. Top with the remaining chilli and sprigs of coriander.

Olly Smith’s wine pairing: Terrific with Thai 

Kakapo New Zealand White 2022 (11%) £6.25, Asda

Tropical and aromatic yet crisp as a frozen wedge of pink grapefruit, this is brilliant with Thai-style dishes – at a great price, too.

BEETROOT AND APPLE SOUP WITH GREEK YOGHURT

Serves 4

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped
• 4 large beetroot, scrubbed and chopped
• 1.2ltr (2pt) vegetable stock

To serve

• 4tbsp Greek yoghurt
• A few sprigs of dill, chopped (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large lidded pan and add the chopped onion and celery. Gently sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add the apple, parsnip, potato and beetroot and stir well.

Pour the vegetable stock over, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through and tender. Transfer the mixture to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth or use a stick blender.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and add a spoonful of yoghurt on top of each. Top with a few sprigs of dill, if liked, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cook’s tip:  For extra heat, stir in 2tbsp freshly grated horseradish or strong horseradish cream to the Greek yoghurt.

Olly’s wine pairing: Best with beets

Waitrose Loved & Found Touriga Nacional 2021 (14%) £8.99

Powerful, classy and fragrant, this prize red from Portugal is epic value for money. It’s a winning combo with beetroot and horseradish.

CELERIAC AND LEEK SOUP WITH CRISPY PANCETTA

Serves 4

• 50g (1¾oz) butter
• 1 large leek, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 celery sticks, chopped (reserve the leaves for garnishing)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium celeriac, peeled and chopped
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 1.2ltr (2pt) chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices of pancetta

Heat the butter in a large lidded saucepan. Add the leek and onion and gently cook for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the celery and garlic and cook for around 2-3 minutes more until slightly tender. Stir in the potato, celeriac and thyme.

Pour the chicken or vegetable stock over and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until all the vegetables are nice and soft. Transfer the mixture to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth or use a stick blender. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick pan and add the pancetta slices. Fry for 4-5 minutes until crisp, turning halfway through. 

Transfer to some kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil, then chop into small pieces.

Serve on top of the soup with a few celery leaves and an extra grinding of black pepper.

Olly’s wine pairing: Perfect with pancetta

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2022 (13.5%) £7.65, Co-op

This white with a mellow almond edge will pick up on the celeriac – and has plenty of lemony flair to keep you quenched with the pancetta.

SWEET POTATO BROTH WITH CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

Serve 4

For the chicken dumplings

• 500g (1lb 2oz) chicken (or turkey) mince
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• ½ a red chilli, finely chopped
• 2tsp cornflour
• 1 egg white
• 1tbsp chopped coriander

For the broth

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 sticks of lemongrass
• 500g (1lb 2oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1ltr (1¾pt) chicken stock
• 2-3tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1tsp soft brown sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of spinach leaves, shredded if large
• 400g (14oz) fresh udon noodles (available from supermarkets)
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced
• A small handful of coriander

Place the ingredients for the dumplings into a food processor and pulse to a course paste.

Using your hands, roll and shape the mixture into 12 golf ball-sized balls and set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the onion and celery and cook for 6-8 minutes to soften, add the garlic and ginger, then cook for a minute more. Using the back of a knife, bash the lemongrass along the length of it to help release the aroma, then add to the pan along with the sweet potato and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar, and season to taste.

Drop in the dumplings and cook for 8 minutes. Add the spinach and noodles and simmer for 4-5 minutes or according to the packet instructions. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the green chilli and coriander.

Cook’s tip:  We’ve used a pack of mince here, but you could use 4 large chicken or turkey fillets, finely chopped, instead.

Olly’s wine pairing: Stellar with sweet potato 

Chateau du Moulin-à-Vent Couvent des Thorins 2020 (13%) £20.62, stannarywine.com

This top-class French Gamay is a red wine renowned for its classic softness, freshness and elegance. It’s an iconic and classy choice to match with this sweet potato soup.

CURRIED DHAL SOUP WITH GARLIC SPROUTS 

Serves 4

• 2tbsp ghee (see tip below)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 2tsp mustard seeds
• 2tsp cumin seeds
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp turmeric
• 10 curry leaves (available in supermarkets)
• 125g chana dhal (yellow split chickpeas)
• 125g red lentils
• 1½ltr (2¾pt) vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 400ml tin coconut milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the garlic sprouts

• ½tbsp ghee
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 200g (7oz) Brussels sprouts, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Heat the ghee in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes until lightly caramelised. Add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric and curry leaves and cook until the mustard seeds start to pop.

Add the chana dhal and lentils, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in the potatoes and coconut milk. Cook gently for another 15-20 minutes or until the lentils and potato are soft and the liquid has reduced to a nice consistency. Season to taste, cover and set aside while you make the sprout topping.

In a separate pan, heat the ghee, add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Throw in the sprouts and stir-fry until lightly golden, for around 3-4 minutes.

Serve the soup in bowls and top with the sprouts and a pinch of chilli.

Cook’s tip:  Ghee, or clarified butter, is used in Indian cuisine and is easy to buy in jars – or alternatively, use butter.

Olly’s wine pairing: Delicious with dahl 

Aldi Specially Selected Île de Beauté Rosé (12.5%) £8.49

Earthy dhal pairs beautifully with a fulsome fragrant rosé like this one, blended from Corsican grapes.