From Bega Foodservice Chef Ambassador Gary Johnson

“There are so many creative paths you can go down with soups. To ensure a complete meal, serve up your soup with accompaniments that have been chosen to complement it – and think not just in terms of flavour and colour but texture too.

“A tasty miso soup served with some grilled fish and rice dumplings will not only be delicious but visually appealing, especially if you garnish it with Asian Greens or shitake mushrooms. Then you also have the richer soups made with superfoods – like fresh kale blended with tomato and cauliflower.

“The wonderful thing about soups is that the only limit is your imagination and ability to marry flavours. Make sure you think about the ingredients and how they will go together – don’t just look at what you have left over in the fridge, say ‘I’ll use these’ and hope for the best!”

• For Moroccan Harira soup, a side of toasted Turkish bread topped with Dairy Farmers Cream Cheese with some roasted red peppers mixed through makes the perfect accompaniment – you’re contrasting the delicious Middle Eastern soup flavours with the creamy, tangy texture and flavour atop the Turkish bread.

• For a Curried Pumpkin Soup, Gary recommends roasting pumpkins in a little apple which will impart extra sweetness – then garnish with a drizzle or dob of Farmers Union Greek Style Natural Yoghurt, followed by a sprig of coriander and serve with a side of papadums. The caramelisation of the roasted pumpkin adds depth, complemented by the tartness of the Greek Style Natural Yoghurt and the crunchiness of the papadums.

• A green pea soup can be drizzled through with Dairy Farmers Cooking Cream to enrich the flavour, then topped with panfried chorizo pieces, chopped chives and ground pepper, and served with olive bread or toasted sourdough. Gary suggests topping the sourdough with some black garlic paste and a mix of Dairy Farmers Shredded Mozzarella and Dairy Farmers Shredded Parmesan, then toasting before serving. As an alternative to chorizo, you might use pieces of smoked ham hock which have been panfried to crisp up prior to adding to the soup – or experiment with other protein choices to create your own signature soup!