‘Tis the season of rosy cheeks and red noses. Heading to work or popping to the shops means entering a room with an unpreventable streaming nose and the distinct appearance of someone who’s been crying – even if you haven’t, and no matter how hard you try to prevent it.
After a long day at the office or even following a short walk with the dog, we Brits will return to the warmth of our houses as though we’ve arrived home from a year-long Arctic expedition. The kettle is immediately boiled for tea and hot water bottles, and one question alone weighs heavily on the mind: what on earth should I have for supper?
Hearty and wholesome, nothing beats a bowl of delicious soup on a cold autumn or winter evening. Essential to the enjoyment of the often vegetable-packed dish is a fresh-out-the-oven loaf of bread with fluffy white innards, preferably with juicy kalamata olives baked into it, as well as a delectable crust for mopping up the remnants.
As the weather turns colder and SAD kicks in, nothing warms us from the inside out quite like homemade soup. It’s a love language in its own right and has been considered a form of both physiological and mental medicine for centuries. Chicken soup is one such example, and it’s often referred to as ‘Jewish Penicillin’ – given that it’s one of the most popular recipes across the entire global Judaic community.
From Hungarian goulash to Japanese ramen and Vietnamese Pho, we’ve curated a selection of the best soup and broth cookbooks from across the globe. Keep scrolling for mouth-watering winter warmers.
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Bowls & Broths by Pippa Middlehurst
Middlehurst, aka PippyEats on Instagram, teaches us how to build a hearty bowl of soup ‘from the bottom up’ in this delightful recipe compendium. She outlines the formula for creating a perfect soup every time, which includes seasoning, sauce, crunchy bits, fresh herbs, aromatics and toppings in order to maximise texture and flavour.
Fabulous recipes include roast duck Chintan ramen as well as a ‘master stock’ recipe to keep in your fridge.
Buy now £14.65, Amazon
The Soup Book: 200 Recipes, Season by Season by Sophie Grigson
Crafted to help you make the most of seasonal produce, The Soup Book by Sophie Grigson contains an impressive 200 different soup recipes organised first by the time of year, then by ingredient. Nourishing recipes include chilled cucumber soup with dill, hearty borscht, pumpkin soup and an entire chapter dedicated to baking bread to accompany your dish of choice. Each recipe features instructions on how to properly store your soup in the freezer for a rainy day.
Buy now £14.95, Amazon
Soups, Salads, Sandwiches: A Cookbook by Matty Matheson
A veritable bible for year-round comfort food, though Marry Matheson of The Bear fame doesn’t play an actual chef on the show, he’s one in real life. Matheson has been writing cookbooks since 2018, but this latest addition to his bustling oeuvre is sure to be the finest yet.
Stand-out soups include giant meatball soup, crab congee, creamy sausage soup with rapini and tortellini, as well as caldo de pollo.
Buy now £17.46, Amazon
Soup for Good
Filled to the brim with wholesome, stress-free recipes, all profits from the Soup for Good cookbook help to tackle food insecurity and social isolation across the UK. With praise from the likes of Stanley Tucci and Nigella Lawson, you can be sure that you’re in for a bowl of pure deliciousness and cosiness. Our favourite chapter is the one dedicated to various chicken soups from different cultures.
Buy now £25.00, Amazon
Soup Broth Bread by Rachel Allen
Soup is widely considered to be a form of medicine – whether employed to help heal a nasty cold, or a bad case of a broken heart, it has the power to warm us from the inside out.
Chef Rachel Allen makes crafting healing soups wonderfully achievable in this brilliant recipe compendium, with options that you’ll turn to time and time again. Fan favourites include Carrot and Harissa Soup with Za'atar Croutons, Pork and Fennel Meatball Soup Chunky and Chickpea and Chorizo Broth.
Buy now £20.77, Amazon
Pho Cookbook by Andrea Nguyen
They say that chicken soup is a near-magical cure when you’re feeling rotten – and we’d argue that Pho also does just that. Delicious, versatile and oh-so-warming – a big bowl of Pho makes you feel good from the inside out. Comprehensive yet easy to follow, Andrea Nguyen dives into the history of Phở before working through a series of over 50 brilliant recipes, including an array of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Buy now £14.95, Amazon
Ramen: Japanese Noodles & Small Dishes
Just like author Tove Nilsson, we too are ramen addicts - is there anything better than heaps of noodles, our favourite protein and nutritious veggies swimming in a piping hot flavoursome broth? Now it’s time to recreate your favourite Ramen at home as you put to the test these 50 mouth-watering recipes.
First, Nilsson teaches you how to make the basic broth and noodles before showing you how to create the likes of Short Rib Ramen, Green Curry Ramen and Mushroom Tofu Ramen. All the recipes are simple to follow and most require only easily accessible ingredients.
Don’t forget to try out the small side plates, especially the Tempura and Gyoza - the perfect accompaniment to a ramen.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
Curry Guy One Pot by Dan Toombs
With two decades of travel-based research into the best curries across the world, it’s safe to say that Dan Toombs – otherwise known as The Curry Guy – can offer an authoritative perspective on the subject. In One Pot, Toombs collates over 150 recipes from his lifetime of global travels. Unbeatably moreish recipes include Malaysian Devil Curry, Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry, Cape Malay Bobotie and even Hungarian Goulash.
Buy now £19.94, Amazon
Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker
It should come as no surprise that the queen of cosy, American home cooking has her very own slow cooker cookbook. Our favourite part about this 110 recipe-strong cookbook is the fact that it comes with 110 photos to match. The slow-cooked, full-proof recipes are split into eight main sections including meat, poultry, seafood, meatless, side dishes, breakfast, sweets, as well as stocks and sauces.
Buy now £19.50, Amazon
