"Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite."

Auguste Escoffier

There are few better “comfort” foods than hot soup and even when one is unwell and not feeling like eating anything much, a plate of home made soup can titillate the appetite – as well as provide lots of nutrients to assist in recovery. Be wary, however, of commercial packeted powdered soups, especially those for a cup, which don't contain much in the way of nutrition.

Originally, ‘soup' meant a piece of bread soaked in liquid, then the piece of bread on which the broth or pottage was poured. Essentially, soup is defined as ‘a liquid food' and it ranges from clear consommé to thick broths. Of course, as well as basic soups – long eaten by our forebears, often with bits of meat, chicken or fish, as the main meal – there are lots of glamourous soups which can introduce a meal and impress your guests. Soup is a great lunchtime standby – easy to reheat and filling hungry tummies and in winter it can be a good “filler” for children coming home from school on a cold day. There are also soups which are delicious served cold in warm weather, but we'll leave them for another day.

Fresh Pea And Ham Soup uses frozen minted for a fresh taste and lovely colour; a variation on family favourite split pea and ham. It wouldn't be the first vegetable to come to mind, but cauliflower makes a great winter soup – as long as you don't overcook it – so give Golden Cauliflower Spice Soup a try.

Italian Pork Meatball And Bean Soup is a substantial meal in itself, almost but not quite a casserole, definitely not merely a soup, as is Lentil And Bean Soup with flavours of cinnamon and tomato.

Bouillabaisse is a traditional French seafood soup; make a regional variation in Pacific Seafood Soup and if your family likes fish soups, Simple Fish Soup is easy to make.

Roasted vegetables make a lovely winter soup as you'll find when you make Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup . Hearty and traditional Spicy Lentil And Carrot Soup is great on a cold dark night. Carrots also blend well with tomatoes for a creamy, rich soup, and if you want a spice to go with carrot soup, cardamom seeds do the job, liquidising easily.

It may sound French by name, but Soup Au Pistou is more Italian in character, with beans and pasta, finished off with a dollop of basil pesto before serving with fresh crusty bread.

As you'll see from this month's book reviews too, there are so many soups: Leek and Potato, Tomato, Lentil, Scotch Broth, Minestrone and so on. Everyone has their favourite, but I'll leave it to Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland to have the last word.

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth of beautiful soup?"