Yes at this time of year as the dark, cold and damp take over, I think I’m right in saying we all like to have a stock of tinned soups in the store cupboard for a quick warming lunch or even as a snack. With a long shelf life and super convenience it’s no wonder canned products have been with us for over a century and it doesn’t look like they are going to leave us anytime soon.

Baxter’s Hearty Soup range has been around for a while, sold as a little more chunky and substantial than the regular kind, they sort of fill a gap between soup and stew. Containing 2 to 3 portions of your 5-a-day it’s more of a meal in a can.

So what did I think of the flavours I got to try? Read on!

Chicken & Country Vegetable

It was a pleasant surprise to find the chunky vegetables that had good bite and texture, not like a lot of soups which have hunks of  veggies that instantly turn to mush in your mouth.

It was pleasant tasting but the chicken flavour seemed to be lost somewhere. Even though the ingredients don’t mention tomato I could swear I got that flavour coming through.

Whatever it was something was knocking the balance out of kilter.

Tuscan Style Bean, Bacon & Pecorino

This I like – it had a pronounced almost concentrated minestrone taste, though there is only the slightest hint of the Pecorino cheese. This soup has a good rich smoky flavour and firm beans with a good textured. This is my kind of soup and definitely going into my store this winter.

Country Vegetable

No surprises with this one, exactly the flavour you would expect. If you are a fan of canned country vegetable soup then this won’t disappoint.  The flavour from the nice big hunks of carrot came through well giving an ‘earthy’ feel to the soup, I really enjoyed this more substantial version of a classic.

Beef, Bean & Vegetable

Not too thick yet rich with the flavour of the wine and thyme coming through, this soup came out as having the most sophisticated palate out of all that I tested. It also had noticable real (albeit small) chunks of beef! Really nice soup this one and not just for the winter months.

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Chilli & Lime

This has a nice consistency and it smelled fantastic as I heated it up. The fragrance promised a complex Thai like flavour experience, however on eating it it only managed to deliver a mild Asian flavour. There was no real chilli heat coming through and no real freshness (if anything at all) from the lime. Although not in the soups name, coconut milk was there in the flavour foreground and I feel that maybe it kind of flatten out the other flavours.

It was disappointing for me as they could have been a lot bolded with the spices.

Spiced Red Lentil & Smoked Bacon

Now this is more like it, winter warmer for sure! Very, very thick more like a lentil stew, with a nice smoky flavour and even lovely hint of chilli heat coming through, living up to it ‘spiced’ moniker. Some nice crusty bread on the side and this sioup is well worth making a meal of.

Conclusion

So all in all a solid range of soups, as you would expect from the experts at Baxter’s. I’ve given you my opinion and as you can see I enjoyed some more than others.

We all have different tastes so I can only suggest you try some out for yourselves…I know you will find your own favourite!

Baxter’s Hearty soup range is available at your favourite supermarkets now.

Please remember to tell me what your think of the soups in the comments below. Are we eating from the same soup bowl?

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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