A soupcon of French flair

I RECENTLY travelled to the south of France, where the average temperature during my stay was 5°-7°C during the day with continuous rain.

The first night on the ship we were served a hearty rendition of lobster bisque to warm our weary bodies. The taste stayed with me and last night I decided to try to replicate the dish but make it easier to prepare than a traditional bisque.

I have included a recipe for chicken soup that can be prepared in advance, frozen in portions and warmed up whenever needed. CRAYFISH SOUP Ingredients: 4 medium crayfish tails 50g fresh, streaky bacon or pancetta (not smoked, diced in 5mm squares) Salt and pepper to taste 275ml fish stock or chicken bouillon (use the tail shells to make your stock) 4 ripe tomatoes 75g diced potatoes (no larger than 10mm squares) 50g butter 2 tsp of freshly chopped thyme 1 medium sprig of parsley, chopped 1 tsp mace 150ml hot cream Method: Sauté the bacon until crispy and set aside. Cook the potatoes in the same butter until lightly brown. Add the thyme, parsley, fish stock or bouillon, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Blanch (by placing the tails in boiling water for three minutes) and remove the meat from the shells. Dice the crayfish and add to the soup with the shells: cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove the shells, add the tomatoes, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove the parsley and stir in the hot cream just before the soup is served. Sprinkle with ground mace and chopped parsley. CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP Ingredients: 2 x 1kg chickens, halved and quartered, with necks, gizzards and feet if possible (or two boiling fowl, if available) 4 large whole carrots 4 stalks celery 2 medium onions, whole 4 large whole leeks, cut in half 3 bay leaves 8 peppercorns 2-3 organic chicken bouillon cubes (in lieu of salt) 6 sprigs of parsley 100g fine noodles, cooked separately Method: Put the chicken pieces, carrots, celery, onion, leeks, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and add two chicken bouillon cubes. Skim occasionally and simmer for about six hours. Strain into a clean pan. Dice the chicken meat (1cm) and carrots from the soup and set aside. Bring the soup back to the boil and adjust the seasoning for saltiness. If required, add a bouillon cube. To serve, add a few cooked noodles with a little of the diced chicken and carrots previously set aside. It is always nice to serve a crispy, warm, small minced chicken or meat pie with this soup. This recipe also forms the base for a good, strong stock.