Souped Up

I just love a good bowl of soup, and I like to be able to add a bit of contrast and texture and present it really nicely. A well-chosen topping can add an interesting flavour dimension as well as make a soup a bit heartier too.

Leftover bits of bread get torn into croutons and fried up in oil or rosemary oil. We toast pumpkin (or any other sort of) seeds and sprinkle them over soups. Finely shredded leeks are great fried up which brings out their nutty flavour and they are wonderful piled up on top of a soup just before serving. We rip calendula petals or nasturtium flowers and scatter them over soups. Pickled wild garlic buds are also lovely.