Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish over low heat, and add the sliced red onions and crushed garlic.

Sweat gently for 20 minutes or until soft and tender.

Add the beetroot, vegetable stock, cooked pasta, and raspberry vinegar.

Heat through.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve the scarlet harmony red onion and beetroot symphony hot.

Wash the pak choi thoroughly under cold running water, rinse, and drain.

Pat dry with kitchen paper.

Trim the stems from the pak choi and shred the leaves.

Heat the vegetable stock in a large heavy saucepan.

Add the pak choi and cook for 10–15 minutes.

Mix together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, caster sugar, and dry sherry in a small bowl.

Add this mixture to the stock, together with the sliced chilli.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and cook for 2–3 minutes.

Blend the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water to form a paste and gradually stir it into the soup.

Cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

Cook for a further 4–5 minutes.

Ladle the sizzling Chinese cabbage delight into warm individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the low-fat spread or butter.

Add the thinly sliced onions and cook gently, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Add the vegetable stock and season with a little salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Stir in the skimmed milk and heat through.

Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice.

Add 2 ladlefuls of the hot soup and whisk well.

Stir the egg and lemon mixture into the soup and heat through gently, still stirring, until slightly thickened.

Avoid boiling to prevent curdling.

To make the croûtons, spread out the bread cubes on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until a deep golden brown.

Ladle the soup into warm individual bowls and sprinkle with the croûtons just before serving.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the chicken stock, diced potatoes, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat until the stock is just simmering.

Mix the cornflour with 4 tablespoons of water to make a paste.

Stir it into the hot stock.

Bring the stock back to a boil, stirring until thickened.

Reduce the heat until it is just simmering again.

In a glass or ceramic dish, season the pork with the remaining rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Add the seasoned pork, carrot, and ginger to the stock.

Cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the spring onions, red pepper, and bamboo shoots.

Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour into warm serving bowls and serve the savory potato and pork medley soup immediately.

Put the beef stock and extra lean beef mince in a heavy saucepan.

Add the chopped tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery, turnip, bouquet garni, egg whites, crushed egg shells, and plenty of seasoning.

Bring almost to the boiling point, whisking all the time with a flat whisk.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour, taking care not to allow the layer of froth on top of the soup to break.

Carefully pour the soup through a scalded fine cloth such as muslin, keeping the froth back.

Repeat if necessary until the liquid is clear.

Add the sherry and reheat.

Sweat the chopped onion in the butter for 2 minutes.

Add the watercress and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for a further 2 minutes.

Stir in the flour.

Remove from the heat and gradually blend in the vegetable stock.

Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring.

Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend or process to a purée and return to a clean pan.

Stir in the single cream and reheat gently.

Sprinkle the finely chopped eggs on top and serve the velvety watercress symphony.

Lightly sauté the garlic and onions in the olive oil.

Add the carrots and celery, and sweat for 3–5 minutes.

Incorporate the courgette and squash.

Cook for an additional 3–5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, canned chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, and crumbled chicken stock cubes.

Pour in 1.

8 liters (3pt) of water.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Soak the saffron strands in 1 tablespoon of boiling water.

Allow it to stand for 10 minutes.

In a large pan, combine the chopped onion, sliced leek, sliced celery, diced carrots, and crushed garlic.

Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the canned chopped tomatoes, saffron along with its soaking liquid, and the peas.

Bring the mixture back to a boil and add the soup pasta.

Simmer for 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.

Sprinkle in the caster sugar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir through and serve the saffron-kissed vegetable minestrone hot.

In a heavy pan, heat the butter.

Sweat the sliced onion for a few minutes until soft.

Add the garlic and bacon.

Fry for 2 minutes without browning the bacon.

Add the tomatoes and fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add thyme, lemon zest, soft brown sugar, and vegetable stock.

Cook, covered, for 25 minutes.

Blend or process the soup into a purée, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Add a dollop of cream and sprinkle chopped parsley and chives in each bowl to serve.