大象传媒

It's usually just a piece of toast on the run for Eric and his team on the Breakfast Show.

But with chilly mornings...and fond memories of Eric's own pumpkin soup...two members of the gang decided to challenge Eric at his own game.

Ian Perry, Adam Green and Eric Smith

Ian Perry and Adam Green knew that huge numbers of people were checking the 大象传媒 Shropshire website for Eric's culinary treats.

So they plotted to meet with ladles at dawn to rustle up a recipe that would beat Pumpkin soup hands down. And wouldn't cost them a fortune either (each soup cost less than 拢2 for six people).

Everyone who works on the show contributed an ingredient...from cream, to bargain vegetables.... to stock cubes.

Then the boys were left to their own devices to come up with two top recipes.

Raw ingredients

Perry & Green's Vegetable Soup

50g (1.7oz) butter
3 onions, sliced
1 massive potato, cubed
1 leek, sliced
1 swede, cubed
3 carrots, sliced
3 pints of stock (vegetable or chicken...up to you)
Handful of dried herbs, don't be shy!
Salt and pepper
Optional splash of cream

Method:

In a big pot, gently fry the onions in the butter for 5 minutes, then whack in all the other ingredients, except the stock, the herbs and the cream. Cook the vegetables for another 10 minutes then stir in the stock and throw a load of pepper into the mix. Now add the herbs, the more the better.

Cover the pan and allow the soup to simmer for 40 minutes.

With a blender, blitz the soup to the consistency you want, then add the cream if desired. Serve hot - with crusty bread!

Beer Soup

300ml of beer (bitter works well - try a local Shropshire brewer!)
300ml of stock (we used chicken, you can use vegetable if you wish)
2 potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, sliced
30g (1oz) butter
Pepper

Method:

Gently fry the onions in the butter on a really low heat for 20 minutes. Next, add the potatoes, stock and the beer. Season to taste. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes then serve hot with crusty bread...or pork scratchings if you drank the remainder of the beer!

Croutons

Go mad and add croutons, they're really easy to make.

You'll need:

The crust from a loaf of bread and some oil.

Eric and Jane enjoying their soup

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan and whilst it's warming up cut the loaf into cubes. Put one cube into the fat and as soon as it's sizzling add the rest. Keep the cubes moving round the pan until they start to brown (watch out because they'll finish really quickly!)
听听听听听听听听听听听听

Once the cubes are a golden brown, use a spatula and place them on a plate to cool. Leave the plate uncovered and they'll harden.听Set aside and sprinkle on the finished soup.听

Bon appetit!