Kitchen cupboard soups are simply soups that can be made using ingredients that can already be found in the kitchen. These soups are cheap, filling and most of all, tasty.

All these recipes can be adapted to suit what you have in your store cupboard, for instance, if you don't have fresh herbs to hand, use dried. Most of us have one or two little pots of herbs in our cupboards, some of us may have a lot more. So long as you have a reserve of stock cubes, then making these soups is an easy and low cost way of feeding a family.

As always, if you make more soup than is needed, then freeze it. Either freeze the surplus together, or put into individual portions for single meals at a later date. This is a real cost effective way of eating.

Serves 4

4 rashers streaky bacon OR 75g pancetta

1 small onion diced finely

400g (large can) baked beans

900ml chicken stock

splash of worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste 

• grill or fry the bacon or pancetta until crisp
• put to one side
• gently fry the onion until soft
• transfer the onion into a pan and add the baked beans and chicken stock
• season with worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper
• bring to the boil and stir to heat the beans through
• just before serving, add the bacon or pancetta crumbled into the soup

Serves 4

25g butter

1 small onion

225g potatoes

25g flour

splash of white wine (optional)

275ml milk

1 medium sized tin sweetcorn

75g cheddar cheese

3 sage leaves

400ml double cream

pinch of chives

• finely dice the onion and peel and dice the potatoes
• melt the butter
• fry the onion and potato in the butter and sift flour into the pan
• stir to soak up the butter and add wine (use a little milk if not using wine) stir again to make a paste
• stir in the milk
• bring to the boil then simmer
• drain the tinned sweetcorn and add it with the cheese, sage and cream to the pan
• simmer whilst stirring until the cheese has melted
• serve with sprinkled chives

Serves 6

900g frozen peas

900ml chicken stock

1 teaspoon mint sauce

275g single cream OR milk

salt and pepper to season

• cook the peas in the chicken stock with the mint sauce and salt and pepper covered for 10 minutes
• liquidise
• return to the pan adding the cream
• bring to the boil
• once boiling remove from the heat and re-season
• add a pinch of sugar if desired 

Serves 4

2 large potatoes

40g butter

2 medium onions

2 eggs

150ml water

50g feta cheese

pinch of chives

• peel and grate the potatoes
• finely chop the onions
• whisk the eggs with the water
• grate or crumble the feta cheese
• cover the potatoes with salted water and cook covered for 5 minutes
• melt the butter and gently cook the onions
• season with salt
• cover the pan and let the onions sweat for 5 minutes
• add the onions to the potatoes and pour 275ml of water into the pan
• bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
• stir a spoonful of the hot soup into the egg and water mixture, then place into the soup
• serve sprinkled with chives 

Serves 4

50g quick cook rice

15g butter

1 medium onion

15g flour

400g tinned tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

900ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon chives

salt and pepper to taste 

• cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet
• finely dice the onion and chop the tinned tomatoes
• finely chop the parsley 
• while the rice is cooking, heat the butter and gently cook the onion
• sift flour into the onion and butter
• add the tomatoes, tomato puree and 1 tablespoon of the parsley, then stir
• boil for 2 minutes
• season with salt and pepper
• stir in the lemon juice, then add the chicken stock
• bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes
• liquidise, then strain through a sieve
• return to the pan
• the rice should now be cooked
• drain and add the rice to the tomato pan
• re-season if needed, stir the rest of the parsley and chives

Serves 4-6

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon grated parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1.1 litres chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste 

• heat the chicken stock 
• whisk the eggs, cheese and parsley with a quarter of the hot chicken stock
• season the remaining chicken stock with salt and pepper
• when it comes to the boil, pour in the egg mixture and stir constantly
• bring to just under boiling then serve 

Serves 6

50g butter

1 large onion

700g carrots

1 large potato

1 large orange

1 small orange

1 tablespoon parsley 

• peel and grate the onion and carrots
• peel and grate the potato and rinse with cold water
• peel the small orange and cut into thin segments
• chop the parsley
• using a large pan, melt the butter and fry the onions for 2 minutes
• add the carrots and potato and season with half a teaspoon of salt
• stir well then cover for 5 minutes
• in the meantime, grate 2 tablespoons of peel from the large orange
• cut the orange in halves and remove all the juice
• stir the grated orange peel into the vegetables and add enough boiling water to cover the contents
• bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 10 minutes
• liquidise
• return to the pan and add the orange juice
• check the seasoning
• bring back to the boil
• serve with orange segments and parsley

Serves 4

2 400g tins of chickpeas

2 large garlic cloves

6 tablespoons good quality olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons mint leaves

2 tablespoons parsley

salt and pepper to taste 

• chop the mint and parsley 
• drain the liquid from the tinned chickpeas into a measuring jug (900ml is required so top up with cold water if neccesary)
• liquidise the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice with the chickpea liquid
• season with salt and pepper
• place the liquidised mixture into a pan and stir in most of the mint and parsley (keep a little back for the garnish)
• Heat through and re-season if neccesary
• serve with sprinkled mint and parsley and a small drizzle of olive oil