Beef Broth Soup - Heinz

Soup soup soup! Some people think I'm mad just eating soup everyday, but I just don't see the madness, maybe because I'm mad already, or maybe it's just because I'm mad about soup. It's all too much madness!!

Today's souper treat was bought whilst I was en route to work, from a Tesco express. I was really surprised by what they had to offer, there was such limited stock. Yet right opposite there was rows and rows of every kind of crisp you could imagine. I know in the grand scheme of things crisps are probably a lot more popular than soup, but surely that's because the demure soup isn't given the chance it deserves... Never the less I had a few to choose from. The only brand on offer was Heinz, the original canned soup provider. I wasn't over enthralled by this as I was hoping to try something different today. Oh well Heinz it is! I chose a beef broth, I know this is a broth but it says soup on the can too. I don't really know the difference between the two so I turned to good, old, reliable Wiki;

Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of water, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered.^[1] Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish. If other ingredients are used, such as rice, pearl barley or oats, it is then generally called soup.

So there you have it. Soup started off life as a broth. Thank the Lord for broth! 

The verdict:

Heinz you did it again! Nom! 

This turned out to be a great lunch, this wonderfully warming broup (broth/soup) has proved it will keep the wolves from the door until dinner time. 

It had a fantastic rich flavour, with tasty pieces of carrot and potato, perfectly seasoned. You can really tasty the broth too, there isn't chunks of beef but that's not what I was expecting. What I was expecting is just what I got. A bold beefy flavour that developed with every mouthful. To top it all off the presence of the notorious pearl barley was actually a pleasant touch. Sometimes I find pearl barley can be really starchy and turn squidgy, or taste like you are having sugar puffs, but just the puffs, not the sugar. 

Souper rating: 4 out of 5 - Good soup, I just think there's a little to many of those puffy barley things. Thanks again Heinz! 

Spring Vegetable Soup - Heinz

Back to the daily grind! And to be fair to Monday, I'm feeling pretty positive about the week ahead. I'm still on the fitness train and its looking good. I managed to control myself and not over indulge too much on the weekend, granted I ate 4 slices of pizza but at least it wasn't a whole one for once. 

Moving on from that misshap, I've started my day with a tasty protein shake... Mmmm... So now I'm hank marvin! (Starving). Today I was pretty rushed and forgot to bring lunch with me to work, luckily a friend at work saved the day and gave me a can of Heinz spring vegetable soup. I can't say I have ever tired or heard of this flavour of soup and seeing as we are entering spring (I think and hope) it would be rude not to give it a go.

The verdict:

Yum yum in my Tum! This was a pleasant surprise. It was full of carrots, swede and peas, it was vegtastic! It has a very delicate flavour, perfectly seasoned, with the added extra of rice. The rice really added to the flavour, it was that sometimes over powering basmati rice, it was more subtle, kind of like a risotto rice. It was warming and wholesome, a real tasty treat for a Monday lunch time.

Souper rating: 5 out of 5 - I really can't find fault with this soup. Like paint, it's done exactly what it said on the tin. Thanks again Heinz! 

Minestrone Soup - Heinz

It's Lunchtime! Which means it's soup time!
I'm actually really looking forward to having soup today seeing as my routine was rudely interrupted by work trying to better my skills. I'm not bitter, I thoroughly enjoyed my training in the big smoke. I just missed having my warm bowl of soup, and the 20 minutes of typing a poorly written blog.
Today I have chosen one of the Heinz classic variety, minestrone soup. I do like a good minestrone soup, although, I can say I have never tried the Heinz variety, so I will be able to compare it mentally to ones I have had in the past.
Minestrone to me is something people either love or hate. When I first asked a friend what they thought about minestrone they said it was a watery, bland soup that really isn't worth wasting time over... This point was soon proven wrong.
I moved house roughly a year ago near to a village called Hartley Wintney, it was here that I realised minestrone doesn't have to be the way my friend described. The local Italian restaurant (Bellini) serve minestrone as the house soup, and its absolutely delicious! Its a wonderfully lightly spiced soup full of vegetables, beans, and tiny pieces of cute looking pasta all in a perfectly seasoned broth.
I never usually order soup in restaurants, I save them for the working week. But on this occasion something inside me said "try the soup, try a true Italian soup". One of the best decisions I ever made.

The verdict:

I think I am going to stick to either making my own minestrone soup, or ordering it from my local Italian. It was an acceptable tasting soup, nothing truly awful about it. It just didn't wow me, and to be honest it didn't feel satisfying. 

The consistency is very runny, not watery, but runny. It felt like there was no real bite to it unless you got a piece of veg or a bean. Granted it was full of 'bits', but these bits were not very appealing, nor did they look it. The soup tasted like someone had mixed a can of baked beans with a can of tomato spaghetti, then threw in a handful of cheap frozen mixed veg. Oh and a hand full of old dried out mixed herb leaves. It just isn't comparable to the minestrone's I've had in the past, whether that be from a restaurant or a fresh tub from the supermarket.

Souper rating: 2.5 out of 5 - I'm not really sure this should be called a minestrone soup, but who am I? I'm not part of the soup police, I'll leave it up to the experts to name a soup so I can just approve or criticise.  

Cream Of Tomato Soup - Heinz

So I've missed a few Souper days... I was busy with work and venturing into the big smoke for a work related event. I was then easily swayed away from soup due to the millions of eateries that line the streets of London. But i'm back in the office today and back on the soup!
Today's soup treat is the classic Heinz cream of tomato, this soup is truly a classic, I would go as far to say its an ole reliable. This has definitely been a staple throughout my life, I can relate to a Heinz Tomato soup. Its been there for me in my time of need, when I have been ill and want nothing more than that creamy velvet texture in my tum to make the illness go away. And not to mention the amazing combination this soup and some cheese on toast!! Its just epic!! A perfect way to lift any mood swings that may be occurring.

The verdict:

Just as I anticipated, winner winner chicken dinner!! This soup is the simply classically the BEST! The flavour of creamy sweet tomatoes are exquisite. I cant fault this soup. The whole can is a perfect portion, its really fulfilling and hits the spot. I think some people may find a purely tomato soup boring and a bit too much of the same thing, which I can totally understand. But that's why I think this is a soup that can only be eaten when your feeling low or not very well. As if I had to eat this soup everyday or on a regular basis I think I would end up hating it. 

Souper rating: 5 out of 5 - This is in my top 5, its always a winner, it never fails to make my tummy smile, and its just beautifully simple. Its a bowl full of emotion therapy suitable for anyone struggling to get through the working day.