Become a Souper Trouper!

Each year it is estimated that a total of 7.1m tonnes of food is wasted by UK householders; 70% of which was still edible.

To help combat the amount of food still being wasted in the county the Souper Trouper campaign hopes to encourage more of us to use up our food leftovers by transforming them into a bowl of delicious, winter-warming soup.

Both potatoes and carrots are in the top ten of foodstuffs that are wasted nationally but these ingredients lend themselves perfectly to making a base for many soup recipes.

And by adding a range of toppings to give extra texture and flavour a basic soup recipe can become something a little more luxurious.  Toasted seeds, crumbled or grated cheeses, chopped herbs, croutons made from baked stale bread, a swirl of leftover cream or yogurt or, for meat-lovers, a rasher of crispy bacon are just some foods that can be used up.

So if you have fresh produce, cooked leftovers and canned goods coming to the end of their shelf life why not get creative in the kitchen and give some of our delicious Souper Trouper recipes a go? 

Find useful hints and tips plus ideas for soup toppings or accompaniments on each Souper Trouper recipe card:

Spicy pumpkin soup (and toasted seeds)

Leek and potato soup (and pangritata)

Minestrone soup (and cheesy parmesan crisps)

Pea and mint soup (and quick 'n' easy naans)

Kim's Roasted Tomato & Pepper Soup

    Ingredients ​​

    1 x large potato

    1.5ltr of vegetable stock

    8 x large tomatoes

    3 x peppers

    1 x chilli

    A small handful of herbs

    Salt & pepper to season

Method

1. Wash and cut up the peppers and tomatoes.
2. Place on a lined baking sheet with a drizzle of oil or some spray oil and sprinkle with the herbs.
3. Roast the vegetables at 180⁰ c for between 15 to 25 minutes until happy with the charring on the vegetables.
4. Peel and dice the potato and add to the pot containing the vegetable stock.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potato is cooked.
6. Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers to the stock and bring back to a simmer.
7. The chilli can be added to taste at this point, then season the soup with salt & pepper.
8. Blitz the soup in a blender or with a stick blender to the consistency required, reheat and serve.

Serving Tip

Why not use up stale bread by making some croutons to garnish your soup?

This can be simply done by dicing some stale bread and frying in some garlic oil until golden brown and crispy. If you’re watching the calories the croutons can be roasted in the oven, you can use a garlic spray oil to add some flavour or sprinkle these with some herbs.

Christmas Soups

With Christmas not far away why not take a look at some of our favourite online recipes using up more seasonal produce:

Salmon, leek and potato

Turkey noodle soup

Spiced parsnip and ham soup

Onion soup with goats cheese toast

Broccoli and stilton soup

Tips to Reduce Food Waste 

Love Food Hate Waste has lots of information about how to minimise food waste and suggestions on how to use up leftovers.  Including an A-Z section on how to successfully store individual food items to make them last longer and advice on portion control, the website also boasts money saving tips plus loads of recipe ideas to suit every taste and diet.