Best herbs for soup & stews

With the arrival of autumn, we start thinking about soups and stews. It is with a sense of anticipation, not just because slowly simmered food is so delicious, but also becasue the act of cooking itself is so comforting. It’s a chance to chop, simmer and stir, to add a bit of this and a bit of that, perhaps a splash of wine, a squeeze of lemon, and let time work its magic.

Vegetables – autumn carrots, leeks, onions and potatoes – form the base of most soups, hopefully picked from the garden. As winter progresses, the brassicas come to the party, with green or creamy soups based on cabbage, kale, broccoli