ROAST CHICKEN SOUP RECIPES

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the leftover carrots, parsnips and potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes, adding the garlic and most of the thyme for the final minute.

Add the chicken stock and the chicken and cook, covered, for 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is piping hot. Stir in the lemon juice. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half the vegetables and chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Using a stick blender, whizz the soup in the pan until smooth (or blend in a food processor), then return the reserved chicken and vegetables to the pan and heat through. Serve in bowls with a dollop of crème fraîche and the remaining thyme scattered on top, with pieces of baguette on the side.

1. For this recipe, you will need 1 higher-welfare roast chicken carcass, with leftover chicken attached.
2. Peel and roughly chop the onions, roughly chop 2 carrots and celery sticks, then place them in a large pan with the bay leaves, peppercorns, a pinch of sea salt and the chicken carcass.
3. Fill the pan with cold water so that everything is covered, then place on a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface from time to time.
4. About 20 minutes before the stock is ready, crack on with the base of the soup: peel the remaining carrots and slice ½cm thick with the remaining celery. Peel and finely slice the garlic and shallots. Pick the parsley leaves, finely chopping the leaves and stalks. Roughly shred the spinach.
5. Place the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in another large pan on a low heat, add the garlic, shallots and parsley stalks and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened.
6. Add the carrots and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes.
7. When the stock is ready, remove the chicken carcass, pull off any remaining pieces of meat and leave to one side, then discard the carcass.
8. Strain the stock through a sieve into the veg pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Add the seasonal greens and cook for a further 10 minutes, adding the spinach for the last minute.
10. Finish the soup by squeezing in the lemon juice, then taste and season to perfection, if needed.
11. Divide between bowls and top with any leftover shredded chicken, a sprinkling of parsley leaves and a good hit of black pepper.

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
2. Peel the carrots and onion, then trim and slice along with the fennel (reserving any herby tops, to garnish). Place in a roasting dish, toss with 2 tablespoons of oil.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, then add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Stir everything thoroughly and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, or until the vegetables are soft and browned.
4. Remove and discard the papery skins from the garlic cloves. Put the roasted veg in a large pan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then liquidise with a stick blender, until completely smooth.
5. To make the flatbreads, toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Crush roughly with a pestle and mortar, then pour into a bowl with the flour and ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
6. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 100ml of hand-hot (not boiling) water, then add it to the flour mixture with the oil and 60 to 75ml of hot water and mix until you have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
7. Pop the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Then, with oiled hands, divide the dough into 8 and roughly roll each one into a thin oval. Stack them up, separating them with baking paper to stop them from sticking together.
8. Heat a griddle pan until it’s smoking hot and add the flatbreads (you’ll need to do this in batches). Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until charred and puffed up. Keep warm in a tea towel while cooking the rest.
9. Gently reheat the soup, and serve with a swirl of cream, a scattering of herby fennel tops (if you have them) and the hot flatbreads.