The Delia Collection, Soup

Soup, part of Delia Smith's four-volume The Delia Collection is, in some ways, the most interesting volume in the series. The image of soup has undergone something of a transformation in recent years. This most unglamorous of foods has become a chic accoutrement of many a dinner party, and the possibilities of soup are now seen as many and varied.

As in other volumes in the series, Delia divides her recipes seasonally and the variety of soups available here is surprisingly wide. In spring, Delia presents such basics as Carrot and Coriander Soup (although her recipe may hold some surprises, even if you count this soup in your repertoire), alongside more ambitious recipes such as Shiitake Broth with Sesame Toast (this is a light soup that is not too calorie-heavy, made with Japanese miso stock and dried shiitake mushrooms). Summer sports some unusual and tempting recipes such as Chilled Almond Soup (called Ajo Blanco here) for which Delia dispenses with what might be seen as almost cursory instructions. But this is the secret of the four books in The Delia Collection: not a word is wasted, and adjectives are kept to an absolute minimum: after all, we know we can rely on Delia to pick only the most interesting recipes. For autumn, there's a piquant Wild Mushroom and Walnut Soup, perfect for the colder weather, while winter has such delights as Slow-cooked Root Vegetable Soup and The London Particular (which is, in fact, yellow split pea soup). Whether you buy individual volumes of The Delia Collection or all four books (much the best course of action!), your kitchen library will be enriched. --Barry Forshaw

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Brilliant! - Rated
I love this book - everything I have made from it has come out as it should have! The ingredients aren't too exotic, and there's a good variety of recipes. There is a good mixture of simple and fancy things to make.
The only difficulty I had was that quite a few of the recipes contained nuts (I live with someone with an allergy) but in a lot of cases the nuts weren't a crucial part of the recipe anyway.
I love this series of books, and this is my favourite so far!

A gentle introduction to cooking! - Rated
At 30 years old I thought I ought to start cooking some proper food instead of heating up ready meals!
So finding Delia's beautiful collection of books has been a godsend.
I started with the 'Soup' and 'Fish' ones and so far have been making a fresh soup every week.
The instructions are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to find in your local supermarket. The lovely pictures help to show you what your creation is supposed to look like too!
Delia has given me the confidence to move onto more complex recipes and I am planning to do some baking this spring....!
Good luck. Hope you find the book as inspiring as I have.

Lovely recipes!! - Rated
There are some incredibly stylish and delicious recipes in here. My only wish was that Delia could have packed in a few simpler recipes. But all-in-all, an excellent selection of soup recipes to choose from!

Excellent - Rated
I've always wanted a book like this. I never cook fish or other meats, so to have Delias chicken recipes in one book is just fantasic. The photography is excellent. It is hardbound so won't be damaged in the kitchen. It usually cheap on Amazon. What more do you want?

I have heard that some receipes are in Delias older books. That is probably true. Lets face it, they're somewehere in the 500 page 4 inch thick book with no pictures and boring text that you've had for ten years. Treat yourself as this is an excellent addition to the bookshelf at a great price!

Good ... yet not so good - Rated
I own ALL of Delia Smith's books along with 223 other cookery books by various experts all over the world. What I like most about Delia is her "no nonsence" approach to food, although she can be a little "mumsy' at times. But then, that is part of her appeal.

This book and all the others in its series (Soup, Fish, Chicken) have been very difficult to review because they can be simply fabulous or down right rip-offs.

The recipes themselves are typical of Delia - straightforward and designed to work - and as such these books are indispensible for those who do not own any of her other books. On that basis alone I would have given this book (and its siblings) a 5-star rating.

BUT, for those wanting to buy this book, I would warn that there are no great culinary revelations here. These are recipes published by Delia in her previous collections - Summer, Winter, Christmas etc - just a rehash of old hits. If you buy this book and others in this series, you might just be tempted to ask for your money back- but not before giving a 1-star rating!

However, if like me, you have several bookshelves groaning under the weight of countless cookery books, Delia offers a wonderful filing system for her recipes. Personally, I find this to be a time saver when faced with organising dinner for 8 at short notice. No more flipping through pages looking for Delia's Chocolate Mouse or Delia's Mini Chocolate Muffins or Delia's Chocolate Truffles etc etc

For those thinking about buying this book, I suggest that you first ask yourself if you have so many Delia books that you now need more books of neatly organised Delia delights.

For an average person, this book and the others in the series get an average 3-star rating.