Traditional English Recipes
Soups and Salads
I simply love soups. They're tasty and quick. They can be warming and soothing or bright and uplifting. They make great starters to a more substantial dinner, or they can be a meal on their own.
Depending on the occasion or the mood of the cook, a soup can be as delicate as a watercress consomme, or as hearty as split pea soup. It can be uplifting like a broth, or warming and fragrant like a large bowl of chicken noodles. Soups are mood food, endlessly versatile and mostly within the reach of every one of us.
Salads are similarly flexible and colourful, similarly hearty or elegant. They change their face to please the cook and can be constructed of almost anything you find in your kitchen.
Cold meats make substantial salads, leaves more delicate ones. Potatoes, pasta or rice can be teamed with vegetables and served warm. Or they can be dressed up with spices and marinades to grace barbecues and picnic tables. Dressings can be warming, soothing or bright and zingy. Leaves can make a colourful bed for delicate steamed salmon, robust roast chicken or even fruit and nuts. And Constance Spry's famous Coronation Chicken Salad was even judged fit to be served to Her Majesty.
Comforting Tomato Soup © Rome2015 | Getty Images canva.com
© Proformabooks | Getty Images canva.comWatercress Soup
Watercress is a firm favourite of mine, whether as part of a salad or in a soup. And here I can offer you three different recipes for delicious watercress soup. Serve it as a classy dinner party starter, a light lunch or something more substantial and simply adore the taste.
© Lisovskaya | Getty Images canva.comChestnut Soup
A real winter warmer, this one - but oh so delicious! Chestnut soup was
once the preserve of big county house kitchens, but really, it's so
wonderful that everyone should try it. It doesn't even matter if there are no chestnut trees near your home. You can make this soup just as easily with tinned or vacuum packed chestnuts.
 © margouillatphotos | Getty Images canva.com |
Celery SoupI have no love for raw celery, but turning it into soup is an entirely different matter. Softened in olive oil and simmered until soft in hot stock, the green crunch turns into soothing, uplifting fare. Add milk or a touch of cream and blitz into a smooth soup and celery turns into the tasty starter to an elegant meal. |
 © samgrady | Getty Images canva.com |
Easy Leek SoupLeek is one of my favourite vegetables and one that "soups" to perfection. Stick to the white parts of the leek if you want a pale, elegant soup or add the green parts for something with a little more guts. Experiment with spices or simply eat this easy leek soup as it is: delicious. |
 © travellinglight | Getty Images canva.com |
Easy Potato SoupWhere would we be without the humble spud? Hungry more often than not, I suppose. Most of us will reach for potatoes in our search for something tasty, filling and easy to put together. This easy potato soup is a case in point. All you need is a little patience. |
 © Iulia Cozlenco | Getty Images canva.com |
Green Pea Soup
If your life or dinner party needs a splash of colour, this is the soup to reach for. Make it in the depth of winter using frozen peas and see eyes across your dinner table shine in delight. Or eat it sitting in the sunshine with a drizzle of basil oil. Either way, it's magical. |
 © Panagiot Kryiakos | Getty Images canva.com |
Leek and Potato SoupThis is one of my top three favourite soups. Leek and potato soup is so tasty, it's a marriage made in heaven. It's also inexpensive, easy to whip up, and lends itself to feeding a crowd. What could be more wonderful? |
 © EzumelImages | Getty Images canva.com |
Split Pea and Ham SoupThis used to be my grandma's favourite. She was of the 'waste not, want not' generation and would have never made this with fresh ham. To her, this soup was a way to get even the last bits of taste from a ham bone or pork knuckle, at a time when such ingredients were rare. And it tastes fantastic! |
© Liudmyla | Getty Images canva.comCoronation Chicken
The recipe for coronation chicken salad only dates back to 1953 and Her Majesty's coronation, but it has quickly become one of the best loved and best known traditional English recipes. It's a delicate salad with curry spices and apricots, and well worth being served for lunch or make an appearance at a classy picnic.
© MarkGillow | Getty Images canva.comPotted Shrimps
Potted shrimps are one of the most versatile foods you can find, whether you buy them ready to eat or make them yourself. They fit on the breakfast table as easy as they find favour at lunch, dinner or supper. They're great on crunchy brown toast and divine in scrambled eggs.
Traditional English recipes for soups and salads will cover a multitude of occasions: lunch with friends, a summer picnic, a classy dinner party or a quick snack can all benefit from a tasty soup or colourful salad. I'll add more recipes as I find them, so make sure to check back regularly for new additions.
Ploughman's Lunch © Monkey Business Images | canva.comReturn to the traditional English recipes page for more delicious dishes...
Essentially England uses affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through a link on this site, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you).
