Souper Review

M&S offer

2010-02-14T18:23:00.002Z

Something wonderful has arrived at Marks and Spencer's on Moorgate, and I'm sure elsewhere across the land. Among the sea of suits last week, a tasty offer caught my eye. Two large plastic pot soups for a mere £3. This represents fantastic value in my book. My microwave power lunches have been filled with warm soupy joy for the past few days and I'm yet to make a dent in this extensive range.

Pret A Manger - Thai Corn (on the hob)

2010-01-18T22:21:00.005Z

Thai Corn (on the hob)Price - £2.99Thai spices and pureed corn are not obvious bedfellows but I thought I'd give this a whirl to see if it works.To my surprise the fragrant chilli and lemon grass flavours sat alongside sweetcorn puree/pieces reasonably well. Having said that, if this were the school playground, Thai spices would definitely be the bully to the sweetcorn's wimp. One dominated the

Beating the freeze with essential soup

2010-01-06T21:50:00.004Z

According to Tesco, soup sales are up 80 per cent in the last 24 hours. The prospect of Siberian temperatures has seen shoppers revert to the warmest and best basic products and it looks like soup is going to be on the nation's menu in the coming days. More snow please.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/05/shoppers-snow-sales-surge

EAT Chicken PHO soup review

2009-12-29T13:55:00.004Z

£4.95 for a fairly hefty portion.I went for this soup from EAT today as they'd run out of the popular (apparently EAT's best selling soup) the previously reviewed chicken pot pie. In search of something warming and nourishing, I had a look at the hot sandwiches but kept being drawn to these huge pots in the chiller.The PHO is a bowl of crunchy and fresh seasoned vegetables with shredded chicken

Itsu Dynamite ‘detox’ soup review

2009-12-18T14:12:00.003Z

£2.95 for small size (enough for lunch)What? Detox? December? Well, that’s how I roll.Only joking. Sorry if I’m boring you with Itsu reviews two days running but it’s all about Asian food now as I take as many opportunities as possible to eat food that I’m not coerced into wearing a ridiculous paper hat to eat.Don’t be put off by the word ‘detox’. This is a tasty little pot of miso broth with a

Itsu ‘Dynamite vegetable dumplings’ soup review

2009-12-18T11:01:00.003Z

£4.95 for I don’t know how many millilitres but props to you if you finish it.Asian cuisine is perfect winter fare. In the face of snow, desperation for a rare December healthy meal and the prospect of a very late supper I was drawn to Itsu, where I have heard rumour that the soups are ‘HUGE’.After lengthy deliberation I took in my chilly hands the weighty vegetable dumplings pot (watch this

Ramsay's Broccli Soup, looks really easy, we'll give it a go

2009-12-11T19:58:00.002Z

Cornish!

2009-12-04T22:38:00.003Z

OK, so I can't really review today's Winter Vegetable Broth. It was laid on by the office's very talented in-house chef so you're not likely to come across it on your high street travels. However, a revelation! Soup and a Cornish Pasty a wonderful combination. Give it a whirl, it doesn't disappoint! JH

EAT chorizo and chickpea soup reviewed – brand new flavour!

2009-12-03T15:22:00.002Z

£3.25 for a large, no extrasI would simply describe this vessel of wintry loveliness as peasant-like, satiating and ‘knobbly’.The texture is this soup’s unique selling point - it’s just fantastic and made me feel like I’d had a proper meal. I didn’t even need bread - and that’s saying something for a bread fiend like me who normally judges those who shun a yeasty accompaniment to their meal.The

Do you know Jack? You soon will.

2009-12-02T22:36:00.004Z

A couple of Souper Reviews’ good friends have launched a new venture and anyone taking to the streets of central Edinburgh won’t have failed to notice the sleek white frontage of the city’s latest eatery, Illegal Jack’s. The South West grill serves up authentic Tex Mex, burritos, buffalo wings, fajitas and quesadillas to sit in or take away. Soup not your thing? Fair

Pod - Sweet Potato & Coconut

2009-11-29T23:06:00.005Z

Star rating - 4Price - large, £3.50The first thing that hits you with this soup is the wiff of tropical coconut gliding across the office’s air conditioned breeze. The second thing I noticed was the heat hitting the back of my throat. This soup may look harmless, but the radiant orange liquor packs a punch.You’ll know whether you’re going to get on with this dish almost immediately as the first

Soup - rustic, regal, really f-ing good

2009-11-21T16:32:00.004Z

We couldn't agree more with this guy at ForForksSake, so we couldn't resist sharing his thoughts on soup.http://forforkssake.blogspot.com/2009/11/soup.html

Tastecasting - the future of food reviews?

2009-11-21T15:51:00.006Z

Tastecasting - what?I came across tastecasting.com the other day and it made me think for a second whether the traditional 'Mr Creosote' style food reviewers with ruddy cheeks, ink pens and sour demeanours can compete with the opinion of the masses in the iPhone age.Tastecasting involves applying for your culinary establishment (or someone else's who you recommend) to be reviewed and rated. The

Eat Hungarian Goulash soup

2009-11-03T21:40:00.008Z

Price: £3.15 - Big BoldStar rating: 4A classic Alpine dish. If you're in two minds as to whether the credit crunch is going to force you to cancel your yearly pilgrimage to St Anton then this soup could push you straight into the travel agents. Straight out of central Europe this dish barely passes as a soup and it wouldn't look out of place in casserole dish; but when it tastes this good you're

Pret A Manger - Chicken and Mushroom

2009-10-27T21:11:00.006Z

Pret a Manger chicken and mushroom soupPrice - £2.99 Star rating - 2.5/5The spoon drifted into the liquid slowly like a hippo in quicksand, indicating some real density. This was a handsome soup with more than a hint of leek and potato about it. Juicy button mushrooms were the star attraction here adding a rich earthy taste to this otherwise fairly plain and creamy offering. The chicken looked

EAT Cream of Corn soup

2009-10-27T13:44:00.005Z

GUEST BLOGGER TCBold, small £3.15The abundance of corn nomenclature is as plentiful as the many uses of its crop. Maize or corn, however you know it, was once just a humble foodstuff but is now used to create confusing mazes or to provide cover for breeding game birds.For me, few sights are more redolent of late summer than a crop of maize at its most verdant. Knowing that its sweet bounty

Pret A Manger Winter Vegetable soup review

2009-10-27T13:39:00.005Z

£2.99 one size, no extras3.75/5When I chose the winter vegetable (from a selection of 4 original and classic choices) I was slightly apprehensive as it could easily have followed the corner shop vegetable soup path of being a salty, flaccid mess released from a tin.Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that this little soup is absolutely jam packed with flavour and nourishment. The potato

Pret A Manger - Moroccan Chicken soup review

2009-10-26T21:07:00.007Z

Star rating - 4Price - £2.99 Opening the lid on my Moroccan Chicken the first thing I noticed was the aroma. A heady mix seasoning wafts at the nostrils taking you on a journey to the markets of Marrakesh. Free from dancing cobras and knock-off goods, the reddish mixture was jam packed with tomatoes, chopped onions and flavoursome veg. Chickpeas drift within the soup adding texture and give the

EAT Chicken and Egg Noodle Soup (BOLD)

2009-10-16T15:53:00.006+01:00

£3.15 chunk of brown bread 45p extra.3.75/5A nutritious and surprising delight for a Friday! This is a clear stock/broth based soup with plenty of sizeable chunks of fresh veg and chicken. It's a hearty dish without being cloying, a herby warmer without being dense or fatty. It's technically one of EAT's 'low fat' options, but it doesn't feel abstemious or unsatisfying in any way.The noodles are

EAT Chicken Laksa soup, garnished with spring onion and coriander

2009-10-16T15:52:00.004+01:00

GUEST REVIEWER TCEat, Bold, £3.15Malaysian outsider takes the plauditsAs a traditionalist, I would regard a laksa as teetering precariously on the very edge of the soup domain. Whilst not going as far as to call them a bête noir, Asian soup-based dishes have never been a favourite – ramens, for me, have always lacked oomph and miso soups, I have found, are often uncomfortably piquant.But Eat’s

EAT Chunky minestrone soup topped with pesto and baby spinach.

2009-10-16T15:51:00.003+01:00

GUEST REVIEWER TCBig, £2.954/5To hug and to be hugged by - nothing matches the comforting qualities of a chunky minestrone when the day is crisp and clear, and with the lurgy still lingering.Much like a lavender-infused Sunday-night bathe, this Italian classic, a soup-cum-bean stew, seeps its warming elixir into every aching joint and muscle, providing a sumptuous restorative soak.Delectable

EAT New England Clam Chowder garnished with fresh chopped chives (BOLD)

2009-10-09T14:29:00.006+01:00

£2.95 for a small. Hunk of brown bread 45p extra4.75/5I was in an adventurous mood today, so decided to take a risk on a dish that I though only Americans could get right. How wrong I was! This is a fantastic feast, creamy, comforting, chunky, succulent - I could go on but you'd just get bored.Suffice it to say that there are plenty of juicy shellfish, chunks of salty pancetta and soft potato

Fuzzy's Grub roasted sweetcorn and pumpkin soup

2009-10-01T13:34:00.004+01:00

£2.60 for a large INCLUDING two huge, buttered slices of home made doorstop bread and herbed croutons.4.75/5Ok - maybe ignore the picture because no picture (especially this one) is going to do this marvellous soup justice.I'll be honest - this is one of my all time favourites and I really don't have a bad word to say about it.It's a chunky, wholesome, filling dish, with a perfect balance of

EAT Chicken, Leek and Bacon Risotto soup (Bold, NEW)

2009-09-29T14:18:00.005+01:00

£2.95 for a small size. 45p chunk of bread to accompany2.25/5Let's get things straight. This is not a risotto, this is soup with rice in it, so it's important to manage your gastro expectations. If you're anticipating the warmth, gooey stickiness and big flavour of classic Italian comfort food you're not going to get it here.This is just a middling, slightly-creamy-but-not-too-creamy chicken soup

EAT Toulouse sausage, butter bean and lentil soup (BOLD)

2009-09-28T14:26:00.003+01:00

£3.15 for a large size £2.95 for small. 45p for a slice of bread to accompanyOverall score: 4/5When they say this soup is bold, they mean it in a big way.This is peasant food, take it or leave it. A wonderful, warming combination of flavour and texture that's great if you're hungry, or cold, or need to fill up for the day.It's not for the faint hearted though, beware this soup is as dense as they

Pret A Manger - Mushroom Risotto

2009-08-27T21:24:00.005+01:00

3.5/5My first impression was that this looks like a very respectable mushroom soup and following further inspection that's exactly what it is. Quality shroom soup is hard to come by. While some of the supermarket carton varieties are pretty good, I'm yet to find anything worthwhile out of a can. So far so good then..The soup makes claim to risotto qualities however and while I could see fluffy

Eat - Chicken Pot Pie

2009-08-20T22:17:00.002+01:00

3.5/5When is a soup not a soup? When it's a Chicken Pot Pie. Eat's menu offers a little more than your traditional chicken and mushroom dish. This hefty broth is thick and in essence I'd say it was more of a stew. Not that I'm complaining.. Hearty is an overused word in soup reviewing but this stewy mixture hits the spot with it's tasty veg, chicken and particularly excellent mushrooms. You get a

Eat - Chunky minestrone garnished with pesto and fresh baby leaf spinach

2009-08-20T22:11:00.002+01:00

4/5Soup's always a hard thing to nail in the summer, but this brand new bold number was just brimming with mediterranean goodness which kept it far away from the domain of the heavy, solid winter warmer style soups.The 'chunky' of the title is certainly accurate, huge carrot slices bob up and down in a soft melty bed of ripe tomatoes while overcooked macaroni pasta falls apart at the touch of a

Eat - Chicken Laksa

2009-08-18T20:49:00.004+01:00

Price, £3.15 for a large, bread 45p for a chunk4/5It's been quite a while since my last visit to Eat and judging by the queues it's still popular. The best thing about Eat is its soup (it’s a close run thing between the soup and the iced cup cakes..) and today's offering was a real treat. The rich creamy coconuty mixture would have sat quite at home upon one of my home made stir fries but as a

Pod - Chicken Tom Yum

2009-08-06T21:47:00.002+01:00

3.5/5This chunky soup is probably less spicy than your traditional tom yum, however this is perfect if you're like me because you get all the benefit of the stock, meat, herb and veg combo without being blown away by chilli.It's a healthy, hearty broth with chunk after chunk of fresh vegetable. What really delighted me about this was the succulent chicken they used, apparently free range. Meat in

Pod - Chorizo, bacon and lentil

2009-08-04T21:50:00.002+01:00

£2.95 for small and slice of breadStar rating - 4/5A bowl of this would warm and nourish the hungriest of soup eaters. Huge chunks of chorizo, juicy cooked bacon and melt in the mouth lentils give this soup a satisfying 'heaviness' while make you feel thoroughly sated and revived.Supposedly made with all natural ingredients, this does indeed feel freshly made and good for you. It's a chunky meal

Pod - Chorizo, bacon and lentil

2009-08-04T21:42:00.002+01:00

Star rating - 3.5This highly savoury soup wasn't much to look at. The big brown mix plopped into the bowl but the initial tasting soon made up for this. The soup seemed to hail from the Mediterranean and it reminded me of several dishes I've had at tapas restaurants, except there was no patas bravas in sight this time. Chorizo can be a little greasy for my tastes but in amongst the lentils and

A warm welcome to Souperreview

2009-07-16T22:18:00.002+01:00

There’s always a time for soup, but it can be difficult to know just where to go to get the tastiest deal. Here at Souperreview we make easy, each week we’ll review the soups hitting our high streets. In addition to discussing each soup’s gastronomic credentials we’ll give you a run down on value for money and provide our views on the best soup accompaniments.