Les Soupes

Despite the passage of time, soup remains the first course for many a South-West evening meal, sometimes the entire meal. Soup is an incomparable preparation for the digestion, a preparation for what, if anything, is to follow. There are recipes for all seasons of the year, many of which have changed in character and weight with the arrival of modern kitchen gadgetry such as the liquidizer. The ease with which a purée can now be made has resulted in a taste for a thicker style of soup, though for many, especially in the summer months, unthickened stock remains the preferred base. For others, a good soup is an ideal way of profiting from the surplus of vegetables from the potager.