Recipe: Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Soup.

Feeds 3 to 4 people.

What You’ll Need

A Big Pot

A Blender

A Sharp heavy-ish knife

A Peeler

A Ladle

A Frying Pan or Grill.

What You’ll Eat

2 Freerange Chicken Breasts

3 Rashers of Freerange Bacon

2 Medium Sized Brown Onions

1 Large Parsnip

2 Medium Sized Carrots

1 Bunch of Coriander

2 to 3 Cloves of Garlic

1 inch piece of Ginger

2 cubes of Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1 Tablespoon of Olive oil

Pepper

Salt

What To Do

First, grab a beer from the fridge and start drinking it.

Now grab your pot, fill it about three quarters full with cold water and stick it on your stove top over a high heat.

Peel and finely dice your ginger and garlic now as this is the most fiddly bit of the whole dish and is the only bit that will prevent you from watching television as you cook. Once they’re diced set the garlic and ginger aside, turn on your favourite Batman movie and take another swig of beer. Roughly chop the coriander and put it with the ginger and garlic.

Once that’s done peel and coarsely dice your onions, carrots and parsnip, put them into the pot with the water and give them a good stir. Stir the pot occasionally until the water starts to boil – when this happens lower the heat to medium and add the olive oil, garlic, ginger, coriander and stock. Keeping stirring the soup until the stock is dissolved and everything else is thoroughly mixed through. Let this all simmer gently over a medium heat for about ten to fifteen minutes while you finish off your beer and strongly consider having another one.

After 15 minutes has passed grab another beer and begin to drink it as you ladle about a third of the soup into the blender. Put the lid on the blender, firmly press down on the lid, blend the soup until smooth, poor the liquid back into the pot and stir it through. Add a few grinds of pepper and a couple of pinches of salt and that’s the soup pretty much done – leave it simmering while you prepare the chicken and bacon. Have some more beer to help prepare yourself mentally.

Cut the rind off the bacon and slice the chicken fillets into easily cooked pieces. Put the frying pan over a medium to high heat and add a small amount of olive oil. Once the pan is reasonably hot throw in the chicken. When the chicken is about half way done add the bacon and cook until crispy.

Once the chicken and bacon are cooked remove them from the pan and place them on a cutting board before cutting them both into about 2 to 3 centimeter strips. Split the chicken and bacon evenly between four bowls. Stir the soup and ladle it into the bowls over the chicken and bacon. Finish your beer to congratulate yourself on a job well done.

After you serve the soup tell each diner it to give it a stir with their spoon before eating.