Minnie's Soup Kitchen

Beetroot and Gin Soup Soup No. 161 from The Soup Book was made in accordance with Sophie Grigson 's instructions. In her introduction to the recipe she describes the beetroot and gin soup as being "for adults only, with a finishing kick of gin, ... dramatic-looking dark pink [carrying] distinct eastern European flavours." Still only being rehabilitated to beetroot, I have hesitated to make this soup but was intrigued by that description. I'd had the house to myself for a few days, what with the spouse and older offspring rendez-vous-ing in Nottingham with the latter's godfather for some sort of cricket tournament, I believe, and the younger offspring spending time under canvas in Spain. Peace and quiet - lovely! No offence to the males in my life. Beetroot and gin soup with soured cream and dill Having completed the bulk of the "big shop" yesterday morning, I strolled down to Young Stephen's to buy beetroot and dill. His assistant Marek...

Pause for Thought A month has passed since I last made a soup from The Soup Book but it seems like many more. Christmas and the associated festivities, preparations, socialising and recuperation have all intervened, all requiring their own investment of time and effort. The preceding months had been emotionally fraught as my family dealt with a serious health issue. Other events of significance included the younger offspring's initiation into the business of secondary school, a family wedding and adapting to the demands of a new role at work. And all the while I was trying to keep up with my self-imposed soup-making schedule. So this year calls for a new approach: less frequent soup-making and more experimentation with other recipe books. The spouse and I have a lot of cookery books, a few of which were my parents' and date from the 1970s. I flicked through one of these yesterday: Alison Burt's The Gourmet's Guide to French Cooking , first published in 1973. Its r...