Cheap and cheerful carrot and coriander soup

A bowl of soup is a great winter warmer, but it’s also really easy on the wallet - always a win when money’s tight.

Carrot soup in particular is really cheap to make.

A 1kg bag of carrots only costs around 50p in the supermarket and that can stretch across lots of meals.

So if you’re using some for a salad or Sunday roast, put some aside to make a tasty, warming soup.

It’s a perfect lunch or light evening meal - and it freezes really well too. 

So you can make a big batch once, then keep portions for those days when you need something quick, healthy and low-cost.

What you’ll need

• 450g (about 1lb) carrots
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 2 pints (1.2 litres) vegetable stock
• Dried or fresh coriander

How to make it

1.    Peel and slice the carrots.

2.    Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the carrots for a few minutes, stirring so they don’t stick.

3.    Pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to the boil.

4.    Turn the heat down and let it simmer until the carrots are nice and soft.

5.    Add a sprinkle of coriander.

6.    Once everything is soft, blitz the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth.

That’s it! 

You can then eat it straight away or let it cool and transfer it into freezer bags or containers for another day.

Throw in leftover vegetables

If you've got odds and ends that might otherwise go to waste or veg that's slightly past its best, making a soup means you can use it up, rather than chuck it away.

Got half an onion hanging around in the fridge?

Chop it up and throw it in.

Found a potato that you don’t have any plans for?

Add that in too - it’ll make the soup even more filling.

Don’t worry about precise measurements

Another great thing about homemade soup is that you can be as flexible as you like, rather than rigid and exact.

You can use pretty much any veg you have lying unused in your kitchen, and as much or as little seasoning as you like.

So you don’t have to eat the same thing again and again, and it’ll be healthy, cheap and delicious each time.

Simply use this recipe as a starting point and experiment a bit, so you can make sure good food doesn't go to waste and that you save plenty of money.