Taking stock - dieters life saving soup recipe - giveaway

Just before Christmas I was sent some Essential Cuisine chicken and vegetable stocks to try and then by pure coincidence (in a competition on 'you know where book' no less) I also won pots of the whole range...and some other lovely goodies too (it was a really lovely unexpected present just before Christmas). But since then I've gone a bit stock mad and been trialing all sorts of things to give these powdered stocks a proper road test. And they all, without exception have passed with flying colours. I have been really impressed with them and for now they are definitely my stand by and store cupboard stocks of choice when I don't have fresh stock of my own to use. I'm hooked and I know why...
These stocks are light, delicately flavoured and probably the nearest thing I have used to match the flavour of homemade stock. They are not overly seasoned and they don't contain monosodioum glutamate, the other stocks I used did and I now realise that this was what I was not enjoying about those stocks, the flavours were too strong, too salty and far too artificial.

Essential Cuisine is based in the north west (Cheshire) and they pride themselves on making good quality stocks of the standard a professional chef would use. One pot makes about 6 litres of stock if you follow the instructions on the tub. The range covers fish, chicken, beef, vegetable and even veal. You can buy them in deli's, select food providers or online here. The website includes some lovely recipes to try with the range.
Here is some of the dishes I have made over the last 7 weeks or so with these stocks to give you and idea of the versatility: not all are pictured.
Chicken noodle soup
Turkey ham and vegetable pie
Potatoes boulangere
Vegetable and lentil soup
Fish cakes
Gravy for roast chicken and roast turkey
Chicken chasseur
Beef tea drink (has about 3 cals..I can't stop drinking this especially when its cold out)
Braised brisket of beef                               -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is one recipe I make over and over again, its my dieters life saving low calorie soup, its very easy to make using the stock powder if you are dieting and you motivation is slipping away try it!
Low calorie easy vegetable and lentil soup
Ingredients:
2 sticks of celery chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 bag of prepared mix vegetables (we call them pot herbs here) if you don't have ready prepared veg use whatever you have in but carrots, leeks, swede, cabbage (root veg) etc will do
200g red lentils
fresh thyme OR dried thyme
chicken stock OR vegetable stock powder from Essential Cuisine
Sea salt and black pepper
Method:
1. Put the celery, onion, fresh thyme and mixed vegetables into a large pan. Cover with boiling water from a boiled kettle. Add 1tbs of chicken or vegetable stock and season, cook over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the red lentils and continue to cook until the lentils are soft. Check the seasoning, add more salt and pepper and stock if needed to taste.

3. Either blitz with a hand blender, or serve chunky. Or if you like it part chunky part blended then use a potato masher to break up with vegetables.

Make a huge pot of this to keep on the stove and help yourself to a bowl when you feel hungry, its a dieters lifesaver packed with good carbs from the lentils.

The beef stock on its own as a drink in a mug, is so nice, its nothing like a stock cube or paste and its so warming and delicious.

So you can try some of these stocks for yourself, this week I'm giving away two of these lovely stocks to try along with a lovely chefs striped apron from Essential Cuisine, the apron is rather nice in a professional cheffie kind of way, and its a really good (your clothes won't get ruined in this) size, the fish and chicken stocks you also get to try (with your new apron on of course!) are even nicer. You have to live in the UK to enter and you have up to three chances of winning.


First leave a comment below telling me what dish you would make with any of these five Essential Cuisine  stocks? For a second entry follow @E-Cuisine on Twitter, and let me know below you have done so below. For a third entry follow E Cuisine Home Chef and 'like' that page on Facebook and let me know below you have done so below. For a fourth entry tweet about the giveaway.

The winner will be chosen at random by me. This giveaway closes in seven days. Good luck!

If you win please try my fishcake recipe with the fish stock powder added as its a lovely supper dish!)

NB. Essential Cuisine did not ask me to do a feature on my blog or offer me any incentive (monetary or otherwise) other than to send me this giveaway.

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