New Covent Garden Soup Co Review
New Covent Garden Soup Co
Reviewed by Shelly Harper
Over the past few weeks I was given three of New Covent Garden Soup Co soups to try for review. The New Covent Garden Soup Co was founded 25 years ago in 1987 by Andrew Palmer one cold afternoon. After returning from a morning’s sailing, Andrew sat down to lunch. Feeling cold he asked his mother for something warm to eat – rather than the salad he had just been served. With some quick thinking she used the same ingredients to whip up a bowl of fresh, warm, homemade soup to give back to her son…. And so an idea was born.
The three soups I selected for review were:
Spanish Patatas Bravas with Chorizo
Carrot & Coriander
Scrumpy Chicken
The Spanish Patatas Bravas soup is from the Tastes of the World range which is for “those who like to explore exotic new flavours and make their taste buds tingle.”
The Carrot and Coriander and Scrumpy Chicken soup and from the Classics range and are simply “classic recipes that we couldn’t live without, honed over time and perfected by our cooks’ expertise.”
Before trying these soups, I had previously tried New Covent Garden Soup Co soup but only leek and potato as this is by far my favourite of all soups but since trying these three soups for review, I have a new favourite….. Spanish Patatas Bravas with Chorizo.
The Spanish Patatas Bravas with Chorizo soup is inspired by the tapas bars of Andalucía and contains a combination of potatoes, rich tomatoes, sweet peppers, smokey paprika and chorizo. I was very keen to try this soup as it reminded me of famous chefs’ Tomato and Chorizo Salad which I truly love but on the same hand I was a little apprehensive as I really am not a fan of tomato soup.
Well what a wonderfully pleasant surprise this soup was…. When you open the carton you are greeted by a fiery orange soup which looks, smells and tastes absolutely delicious. Upon emptying the contents, you can see the chunks of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and chorizo which is exactly what I wanted to see from a fresh soup.
The next soup I tried was the Scrumpy Chicken as I find nothing more comforting than chicken soup. This time it was a combination of potatoes, chicken, mushrooms, mature cheddar, bramley apples, wholegrain mustard and a touch of cider which I wasn’t sure would work due to the several big flavours in the soup but again I was amazed. The chunks of chicken, potato and mushroom in this soup are so fresh and tender without overpowering the other flavours and really add to the thick texture of the soup. Although I found the Scrumpy Chicken soup to be the most filling of all the soups I tried, I just couldn’t stop eating it because it tasted so scrumptious.
Finally I tried the Carrot and Coriander soup which is simply a combination of carrot, coriander and a dash of nutmeg to add diversity of flavour. The soup is a lovely warm orange colour with a few small bits of carrot added in for texture and the smell, although a little peppery, is not overpowering.
The Carrot and Coriander soup was really creamy, sweet and smooth (aside from the odd nibble of carrot) and had a slightly spicy kick to it due to the coriander but not enough to put off people that don’t like spicy food.
The New Covent Garden Soup Co soups are perfect winter warmers and for those that want to try something different to the usual soups you can get in a can. They are full of natural, easily recognisable ingredients which I love (especially being a parent) and although there is enough soup in the cartons for at least two people, I loved these soups so much I ate the whole carton to myself in each sitting, I just couldn’t get enough of it!
There is only a short use by date printed on the cartons although the soup can be frozen but still must be used within 1 month. Realistically I can’t see that anyone would want to freeze them though because they are just too appealing and moreish to leave alone.
Overall I would highly recommend the New Covent Garden Soup Co soups to anyone and everyone as there is no doubt there is a flavour out there to suit everyone’s tastes and if you are a mum on the go (like myself) that doesn’t get time to make their own soup then these are definitely the next best thing.
For more information about these and other flavours visit www.newcoventgardensoup.com
Available to buy from supermarkets.