I love this time of year! I love it when it gets cold, crisp and very cosy. However, it does also mean that colds and flu are rife! Blaghh.

I call this Feel Better Chicken Soup, but it’s great any time you need a comforting bowl of something to warm you up on those long, cold evenings. You don’t always feel like eating when feeling under the weather, so this is light on the stomach but full of nutrients and goodness to get you on the mend and to warm you up – it’s also very easy to prepare, cheap and delicious!

The secret is to make homemade chicken stock. I know, you might think what a faff! But it’s really not.

Use a left over chicken carcass from the Sunday roast, or as I do, buy a whole free-range chicken and cut it up into portions (x2 breasts, x2 drumsticks, x2 thighs, x2 wings and a carcass) and there you have your meat for loads of meals and chicken bones to make a very tasty and delicious stock, the base for the this recipe.

Recipe 

(makes a good few bowls full and keeps well)

For the chicken stock

2 litres of water

1 chicken carcass – fresh or from a roast

1 onion, chopped and no need to peel

1 carrot, chopped and no need to peel

1 stick of celery, chopped

2 bay leaves

a few whole black peppercorns

1 slice of fresh ginger

1 bashed clove of garlic

*You can add any leftover veg you have such as leeks, tomatoes and herbs

• Put all of the ingredients into a large pot and fill with 2 litres of cold water
• Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 -3 hours, skimming the scum away regularly
• Leave to cool, strain through a colander into a large bowl and discard all of the chicken and vegetables
• Use straight away or store in a Tupperware in the fridge or freezer

For the soup

1 litre of homemade chicken stock

1 inch fresh ginger, sliced into rounds

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and bashed with a knife

1 and a 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 can of sweetcorn, drained

3 spring onions, sliced

1 egg white

Salt and pepper

• Pour the chicken stock into a large pan and bring to a gentle simmer
• When the stock is heating, add the ginger and garlic and let simmer away for 10 minutes
• Add the soy sauce, sweetcorn, spring onions and seasoning
• Pour in the egg white, string the soup well until it forms strands
• Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!