Here we are at soups day. I wonder what words or images are conjured up for you when I say ‘soup’?

I think about Saturday afternoons as a kid, after playing netball in the freezing rain and dipping white ‘flour rolls’ into microwaved tinned tomato soup. Quite frankly, it was delicious. But now I make different choices!

I love soup. Any soup really. Except soup with peas in it. Just not a fan….

Here’s the thing about soup and how well it can nourish your body - there’s different levels. At the base there’s tinned soup, then there’s homemade soup with store-bought stock and then at the top there’s homemade soup using slow-cooked broth.

Today we take soup to that next level and I show you how easy it is to make ridiculously nutritious bone broth.

Two of my favourite recipe/educational/wholefood books are Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Wholefoods by Jude Blereau. In it they both stress the importance of a good stock/broth.

Jude writes:
Throughout the centuries, stocks made from bones have been considered to be crucial foods for health. Meat stocks, particularly when cooked with a little wine or vinegar, drew out the minerals, amino acids and cartilage in the bone, making them more freely available. As a component of stock made from animal bones, gelatine is of particular value. Gelatine enables the easy digestion of cooked foods - in particular protein, and it also allows the body to utilise more fully the complete proteins that are eaten.

Basically all you do is simmer bones and veggies over a very low heat for twelve hours.

And if you're wondering - how could we possibly go from 'raw food is awesome’ yesterday to 'cooking things for the longest time possible is best' - well - welcome to the confusing and contradicting world of nutrition!

I am constantly experimenting with the best bits of lots of different dietary theories. I hope it doesn't get too confusing for you but is instead a launching pad from which you can create your own personalised wholefood lifestyle!

Next time you are at the butcher, ask about access to their bones. They are usually super cheap. Buy the best quality bones you can afford. By that I mean from animals that have been fed well and are free to roam. Beef, lamb or chicken bones are awesome to use.
Creating a big batch of soup on a Sunday and storing it in portions for the week is an amazing way to create easy lunches.

If you need a slice of sourdough bread to dip in - go for it! I’m all about the dipping….
Create a broth and experience the benefits. You’ll be doing more for your health than you realise!