Classic Chicken Soup - New Covent Garden Soup Co.

Souper Soup time has had some soup time off. It was a much needed mental break. Why does life always seem to get in the way of the positive things you want to achieve in life? Is that too deep for a Soup blog? Possibly.
Anyways i'm back in the game and eating more soup than I ever imagined! Today's lunch was a classic chicken soup by New Covent Garden Soup Co. I would never usually pick a just chicken soup, I always think of creamed chicken being all blended with a jubbly consistency... even saying that is making me panicked about giving this a go! But for the sake of trial and error, and my mission to be more adventurous, i'm going to give this the once over!

The verdict:

I think i'm pleasantly surprised... apart from getting 3rd degree burns on my tongue! I followed the clear as mud instructions and yet this has happened. I want to blame the instructions but I may have to just blame myself for being such a pig and not having any patience. Aside from this the soup was quite nice, it wasn't jubbly as I anticipated. It was buttery and peppery, with a good amount of chicken. I find all of the soups from the New Covent Garden Soup Co. range really well seasoned, sometimes a bit too peppery, but I always think its better to have flavour rather than none at all. My only issues with this soup are the oiliness (from the butter I presume) and the chicken. The chicken is very stringy with very few actual chunks, so when you are eating this soup be warned to may be wear a bib. This isn't the be all and end all of the soup, it could just do with a few more chicken chunks and a little less butter... would be great so eaters don't end up looking like greasy pigs at lunch time.

Souper rating: 4 out of 5 - A surprisingly tasty soup, perfect for those days when you just want a comforting hug at lunch time. 

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.