Broccoli Potato and Cheese Soup

The only good thing about the cold season is that it takes us down to memory lane, where the comfort food of our childhood comes back to life. To me, winter is the season of delicious hot food that helps us survive the bitter cold weather.

And soups are the perfect example of what comfort food is about: cheap, easy to make dishes that absolutely anybody can afford, and it can be cooked in one big pot for the whole family. My kids absolutely love soups of any kind, and I love spoiling them with all sorts of filling and nutritious meals.

Take this broccoli soup, it's so cheap to make with a few simple ingredients: broccoli, potatoes, carrots, cheddar cheese, stock, onion, garlic, oil and seasoning. It really can't get any easier than that! And these ingredients listed are easily available in any shop, no matter how big or small.

I blitz this soup to a creamy texture, but you can also serve it as a chunky soup, so there would be no need to worry about having a food processor or blender. Alternatively, you can use a masher to mash the ingredients a little bit, so it's something in between a smooth and chunky soup.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

You know me already, I am all for simplicity in the kitchen, and this soup is no exception. The potatoes act as a thickener, so there is no need for flour here.

• peel and chop the garlic and onion
• heat up the oil in a large pot, and sautee the onion until golden
• add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute
• peel and chop the potatoes and carrots, and break the broccoli head into florets
• add them to the pot together with the stock/broth
• cook for 15 minutes until all the veggies are tender, then add half of the amount of cheese, and give it a stir
• blitz the soup until creamy, then season with salt and pepper to taste
• serve with more cheese

Expert tips

This soup is ready from scratch in only 20 minutes, making it an ideal meal for a weekday when life is hectic, and soup needs to be on the tables sooner rather than later. And it's so much better than any store-bought soups, I can guarantee you that.

There are some easy swaps that would work really well here: use frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh ones, they are as good, and you can stock up on a huge bag for a lot less money.

Cheddar cheese works so well with this broccoli soup, but any other hard cheese would do too. Stilton soup is another cheese that usually goes very well with broccoli soup, so it's up to you.

You can add some meat to make the soup even more filling: bacon, ham, or any leftover meat are perfect additions here. But even without them, the soup is still so nutritious! It has a very similar texture and colour to my Roasted Asparagus Soup, which is another one of our favourite soups to have. Do give them a go!