Luke and Chupi Sweetman look at what's in ready-made tomato and pepper soup, and suggest a healthier option.
INGREDIENTS: water, tomatoes (11%), tomato purée, red pepper (8%), onion, sugar, carrot, leek, celery, vegetable oil, modified starch, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper.
Only 11% tomatoes and 8% peppers! If you have too much sugar in your gut it causes yeast fermentation, and it rots your teeth, so no, no, no. Carrot, leek, celery: In a tomato and pepper soup? If we wanted vegetable soup we'd buy it. Modified starch: This can be derived from wheat flour, an unmarked danger for people with gluten or wheat intolerances, so stay clear. Modified means the starch has been altered to allow it to form a gel with water to thicken the soup.
INSTEAD: Soup is a wonderful way of upping your daily intake of vegetables. However, ready-made stuff can be pretty vile, both for the taste buds and the insides. But it is convenient, so go for organic makes with no flour (also called starch or modified starch), no flavour enhancers, no E-numbers, and try and make sure the stock used is bouillon. However, the best is always going to be homemade.
Tomato soup: Sauté two chopped onions in olive oil until golden, add two cans of tomatoes, simmer for 15 minutes, blend and serve with lashings of black pepper and salt, a sprig of basil, some crunchy bread and even a little olive oil.
Luke and Chupi Sweetman are authors of What To Eat When You Can't Eat Anything (Newleaf €16.99),