I was recently sent three different soups from Yorkshire Provender, along with some of their new on-the-go porridge pots to try (read about those right here), and today I’m reviewing those soups for you. All of the soups from YP contain no added sugar, are gluten free, and most of the soups from give you 1 of your 5 a Day in half a pot. With September around the corner, and greyer, wetter weather than we’ve had already in “summer”, soup will soon be on your radar, and if you want it to taste like homemade, then I can highly recommend these ones…
Mushroom Soup with Wholegrain Black Rice
Mushrooms are one of my favourite vegetables, but thanks to canned cream of mushroom soup memories (my dad used to make sauces with it, consequently traumatising me for life), I hadn’t had a mushroom soup in years before I found this one. I had tried this soup before it was sent to me, and I have actually re-purchased it since, it is that good. The colour tells you that this brand places mushrooms top of the ingredients list, and not the cream. Sour cream is used for the creaminess, making it less sickly and much more palatable. Mushroom stock is also added for super-intense flavour, along with garlic, parsley, and mustard. The black rice is also a really great addition texture-wise. This was my favourite soup of the bunch.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine (dairy free)
This soup came a close second if we go by order of favourites. Very rich in warming spices (not hot spice, more aromatic- think ginger, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg…) and also mint. I was unsure as the how the mint would play out in this soup, but it comes through just enough, and really lifts the tomato base. This was the most filling of the soups, containing chickpeas, cous cous and lentils as well as veggies, and so its great for when you want healthy comfort food. However exotic this soup sounds, hot buttered toast and a blanket will still go with it. YP have released this as part of their “Journeys in Flavour” collection, and I think they have a Thai soup, an Indian spiced soup, and a Peri Peri soup in this range. I also want to pause here and comment on the packaging, because I think it’s really beautiful. This particular soup is decorated with a patterned tagine pot, with a window left in the centre so that it brings the soup itself into focus. All of the soups have this kind of design, and as I’m a sucker for packaging I thought I would mention it.
Cauliflower Cheese With Kale & Fountains Gold Cheddar
Out of the three soups this was the one I expected to like the least, and though I was right, I was surprised that I didn’t hate it. I’m not much of a creamy soup fan, and I’m also not much of a cheese fan (unless its melted on top of a pizza or in an omelette, but that’s a whole other story). However, I have to admit that this soup had a really nice balance of the different flavours. There are leeks, mustard, and nutmeg in there, which cut through the creaminess, and the kale and cauliflower give it a bit more of a fresh taste. I had no idea what Fountains Gold Cheddar was, so I did some Google-ing, and it turns out that its a cheese made in Yorkshire, which is known for being exceptionally creamy and buttery in taste. So I’m going to assume that if you like cheese and soup, this is basically liquid gold. Its also lovely that Yorkshire Provender clearly source their ingredients very carefully (they use British produce), and from Yorkshire when possible.
Before I tried these soups I was a huge New Covent Garden fan, but I think I know I’ve been converted. Despite coming from Yorkshire, I hadn’t seen soups from this brand until a couple of months ago, but they suddenly seem to have appeared in my local supermarkets. Near me I can get them in Morrisons and Tesco, though YP also stock in several fancy health food stores, like Wholefoods. I’m hoping that I continue to see an increase of Yorkshire Provender on supermarket shelves!