ALL the summer displays in the shops look increasingly forlorn at the moment; and the salad ingredients in the fridge are more often passed over in favour of hot veg and soups. Rita brought round some of her Borscht, which was just the thing for a horrible day. This quantity should serve about four hungry people.

1 onion
3 celery sticks
3 small carrots
olive oil
3 beetroot
1.2l (2 pts) beef stock
1 can tomatoes
a handful of French beans

Peel and finely chop the onion, celery, and carrots. Wash and trim the beetroot and cut into very small dice. Fry the onion, celery, and carrots in a slug of oil till just tender. Add the beetroot and stock, and simmer gently for about an hour. Add the tomatoes, and, if you wish to, blend the soup. Add a handful of French beans chopped into small pieces, and bring the soup back to a simmer. Season, and serve when the beans are tender, with lashings of grated Parmesan.

An alternative is a Vegan soup that is fat-free, and equally good hot or chilled. This is my version of a recipe given by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford in Samarkand (Kyle Books, 2016).

1 onion
1 garlic clove
2 celery sticks
3 small carrots
4 medium beetroot
1.2l (2 pts) water
1 can tomatoes
3 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 cloves

It is simplicity itself: wash and chop the vegetables into small chunks. Simmer them gently with the seasonings for an hour. Strain the veg, and throw them away. Season carefully because cold soups are apt to need a bit more flavouring as they chill.

Watercress and almond soup is equally good served chilled or hot:

1 or 2 spring onions or 1 onion
1 celery heart
1 bunch watercress
500ml (1 pt) milk/cream
250ml (½ pt) stock
3 peppercorns
4 tablespoonfuls ground almonds
lemon juice

Wash and chop the vegetables finely, and simmer them in a mixture of stock, milk, and cream with the peppercorns until they are tender. Blend the soup with the ground almonds, and correct the seasoning, adding lemon juice to taste.

And here’s a Mushroom soup which is good served chilled, as well as being warming on a British summer day:

110g (¼ lb) mushrooms
25g (1 oz) butter
25g (1 oz) flour
250ml (½ pt) milk/cream
500ml (1 pt) stock
fresh herbs such as tarragon, thyme, and parsley

Chop the mushrooms and simmer them in the butter. Add the flour, and allow it to cook for a minute. Add the stock, and allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes. Add the milk and cream (in the proportions you wish), and a handful of fresh herbs and seasoning. Whizz the soup in a blender, and check the seasoning. The same recipe works equally well with unwanted lettuces, although a rich stock is needed to ensure a good flavour.