Oh I know that I have mentioned this soup on more than one occasion - but it’s mega-fast, mega-easy, mega-tasty and even if you have never made soup in your puff, you will be somewhat surprised by your efforts!

As I see it, there are 3 things that make bonfire night kind of special (well, apart from the fireworks!)

1. Mulled wine with a lot more than a just a dash of brandy to keep the chill out (make your own or buy one of those syrups from the supermarket and add more cinnamon, other spices, some oranges and some fiery, warming alcohol of choice.

2. Burgers and buns (beef, chicken, lamb, pork, venison, veggie, buffalo, bison) - the choice is endless - ask your local butcher rather than buying from the supermarket shelves - he’s is usually a real star on the ‘burger front’ and you know it has been freshly made on the day.

3. AND THIS SOUP… it can be made in 30 minutes then blitzed so it is a little easier for pouring from a flask.

BUT…. not only do glorious homemade soups taste so, so much better than canned, pouched, cartoned or take-away soups (well, that’s MY view anyway), but generally-speaking, there is a deal less sugar, salt and on occasions, saturated fat therein!

In an effort to prove my theory, I pitched my Chicken and Barley Broth against a number of other ‘offerings’ and to be totally fair to all those soups in the frame, I included a few blind-tasters who rather-relish a good soup!

It was slightly stressful I have to confess but eventually my recipe won hands down! Yes, it takes a little longer to make your own soup and there is the shopping for ingredients involved but there is also the fact that there are scant levels of sugar and salt and the only fats involved are fats that aid nerve, bone, heart, brain and muscle health.

The New Covent Garden Chicken & Barley Nutri Soup came in second (deemed by my tasters to be the best when time is not on your side) but perhaps we should have a quick look at the list of ingredients: Water, Tomato (15%), Onion, Butternut Squash, Carrot, Chicken (5%), Haricot Beans (4%), Tomato Paste, Barley (3%), Celery, Garlic, Salt, Chicken Stock, Sage, Lemon Juice, Thyme, Black Pepper, Chicken Stock contains: Chicken, Yeast Extract, Chicken Fat, Salt, Sugar, Dried Onion, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Black Pepper, Sage Extract, Rosemary Extract

Not too shabby actually but sugar and salt feature here and there a little too often and there is only 5% chicken - the blind-tasters were more than happy with my goodly amount of chicken!

NOTE TO SELF AND OTHERS: get the soup pot out as often as you can and if time is an issue, keep an eagle eye on the ingredients of ready-made soups. And remember, they are generally listed as ‘most to last’ so if sugar and salt are anywhere in the fist half dozen ingredients, walk away!

... just how many emails I receive around the beginning of September asking for my advice to shed a few of those 'summer holiday pounds' - how in heaven's name did that happen; we both ask?

The 'added' pounds/kilos appear to have very little respect - they pile on at any time of the year if we don't 'keep a handle' on things! BUT.... there is, of course, soup, glorious soup and in my view, a wonderfully-reliable way to lose weight with lorry-loads of essential nutrients and filling and delicious flavours from one delectable bowl to the next AND I rather think September is a pretty cracking time to get the soup ladle out the drawer! Fancy having a go with my free, downloadable, recently-devised diet? It's not just about soup by the way! Read more...

I rather like this soup! I have to confess that I don't often buy 'cartoned soup' from the supermarket but there are occasions when it's no bad thing to have a soup or two in the freezer if I am slightly behind on the soup-making front! However, not any old soup will do when in a rush to get some goodness into my day...

In this case, there are peas, beans, onions, leeks and spinach which handle the need for a pretty good selection of splendid vegetables PLUS I like the fact there is a healthy addition of brown rice, buckwheat and quinoa to provide a deal of protein and it's low in saturated fat and not-too-shabby when it comes to the salt content. 

Have you tried it? What's your verdict?

Naturally, it doesn't come anywhere close to my Spinach & Watercress Soup but hey ho - needs must!