Some days, soup is what’s needed for dinner. It’s comforting, a lovely bowl of goodness that gives you a hug. This delicious mushroom soup topped with crispy croutons is just that!
My husband is a proud Yorkshire man and was brought up on a diet of all things Yorkshire, all of which he was delighted to introduce me to when we started dating. One of the foodstuffs he most loves is Hendersons Relish. I’d never heard of this before I met him, so there’s a good chance you may not have either. It’s like Worcestershire Sauce (don’t hate me, Yorkshire people), in that has an intense, savoury richness which adds an incredible umami flavour to any dish. Yorkshire people particularly like their pies slathered with it – and with good reason.
When we decided to try out a plant based diet some time ago, deep, savoury flavours were the ones I thought I’d miss the most. However, on making this mushroom soup, I discovered that this does not necessarily need to be the case. I found, quite by chance, that Hendersons Relish (unlike Worcestershire Sauce) is vegan friendly. Woo!
This earthy soup is a wonderful warmer for lunch, as a starter, or with a fat hunk of sour dough, a satisfying dinner. Enjoy!
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Olive oil – you’ll use this to start the soup and fry the croutons. You could switch for vegetable oil.
- Onion and garlic– required for a flavour hit! Use white or yellow onions.
- Mushrooms – you can use any kind of mushrooms you like. Chestnut, woodland and shiitake are flavourful and work well here, but any will do.
- Vegan stock cube and water – or use 600ml homemade vegetable stock if you have some to hand.
- Hendersons Relish – this soup is at its best when you use this! If you’re not vegan, you can use Worcestershire sauce instead or, alternatively, to keep it vegan, use 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp mirin and 1tsp tamarind paste.
- Whole grain bread – you can use white if you prefer.
- Chives – optional
Top Tips
- Roughly chop
As this soup will be blended, don’t waste time finely chopping your onion and mushrooms. Rough is fine.
- Blend until smooth
You can control the texture of your soup. If you prefer some chunks in your soup for a bit of bite, only blend half.
- Keep an eye on your croutons
They don’t take long and can burn easily!
Rich Mushroom Soup
Save This RecipeIngredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 600 g mushrooms
- 1 vegan stock cube
- 600 ml water
- 3 tbsp Hendersons Relish
- 2 slices whole grain bread
- Handful chopped chives
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion and add to a large casserole dish with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté gently for 5 minutes.
- Finely chop the garlic and add to the pan, then roughly slice the mushrooms and add these too. Cook (without stirring) for 3-4 minutes, then add the stock cube, water and seasoning and cover. Simmer for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, put your oven on to the highest temperature. Cut the bread up into rough squares and toss with the remaining oil and some salt. Put in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Whizz your soup with a blender or food processor. If it’s too thin, add some more water to your liking, then add the Hendersons Relish. Check your seasoning and add more if necessary.
- To serve, top each bowl with a handful of croutons and chopped chives. Yum!
You can get my Le Creuset dishes here.
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