garden beetroot soup

I'll put it simply – beetroot is disgusting. It is luridly coloured, it stains your hands, it is too sweet for a vegetable yet not sweet enough to be a fruit, it smells putrid when boiled and really, it's just strange.

But as in the case many foods popular in England that I would previously not have dreamt of eating, I've relented probably owing to its sheer prevalence in the country. People like beetroot! My mind boggles. Even my in-laws make beetroot chutney every year, straight from the garden, to my obvious distaste.

I finally came around to a beetroot and goats cheese salad at a spa lunch in May. The crisp leaves and creamy cheese complemented the beetroot perfectly. Thence forward I have been willing – not necessarily delighted – to experiment with beetroot.

My father-in-law, probably as a joke, offered me some beetroot from his garden last weekend. Little did he know I would accept, and he trudged out in the evening darkness to pull a few.

One grudge I have is the preparation involved – cleaning, peeling, boiling – but once that's done, recipes with beetroot seem to take no time at all – like this one I made mid-week.

Beetroot and horseradish soup

(serves 2)

4-5 medium beetroot, boiled

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp bouillon powder

1 litre freshly boiled water

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 tbsp hot grated horseradish

Place the beetroot and onion and bouillon powder in a saucepan on med-high heat and pour over with boiling water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Use a hand blender to liquidise the contents. Allow to rest, then stir in the horseradish, before blending again.

This soup is ready to serve. Lovely with a salad and a bit of goats cheese.

Calories per serving: under 200

I actually froze the contents in individual servings and brought them for lunch alongside my daily salad to spice things up. Its earthy warmth is really comforting. But you could keep them refrigerated for 3-4 days.

As a side note - foods I have still yet to be convinced of: tinned tuna fish and cottage cheese, just off the top of my head.