I’m sure I have waxed eloquent about the wonders of soup stews before; their wonderful soupy stewiness (or should that be stewy soupiness…?), perfect for a warming winter lunch or jazzed up with a jacket potato and leafy greens for a hearty supper. During a recent bout of Covid I was needing something warm and comforting, and let’s face it, something easy to knock up without too much effort. I didn’t have much in the fridge and not a huge amount of inspiration. I actually ordered a food delivery online for the first time but my Covid-fogged brain was slightly flummoxed by all the choice so I ended up with way too many leeks and a complete lack of any other vegetables. I did manage to order some chunky sausages though, and after finding a rather splendid tin of Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup lurking in my cupboard, I had the bright idea of creating a sort of sausage and leek casserole, using the tin of soup as all-the-other-vegetables-I-should-have-bought. Amy’s soups have all the flavour and texture you would hope for in a chunky soup, with seasoning in abundance, and the leeks and sausages combined with it beautifully. I felt very creative indeed, albeit it with virtually no creative input at all, and I ended up with a sumptuously tasty and satisfyingly umami delight of a dinner with very little effort indeed. I added some extra flavour in the form of Worcestershire Sauce, Garam Masala, Paprika and mixed herbs (all my favourites) and was occasionally aware while eating that it would have probably been a bit much for someone who didn’t suffer from anosmia and/or Covid, but it was a feast for me that provided just what I needed at a pretty miserable time. And I was able to freeze a few portions too – an added bonus. 

This is an incredibly thoughtful article by Bee Wilson, food writer and friend of Fifth Sense.

Bee co-founded TastEd, an educational organisation which, amongst other things, brings fresh fruit and vegetables into classrooms to help encourage children to use all their senses when (as is often the case) interacting with them for the first time. She talks in this piece about our sensory disconnection from fresh food in this age of supermarkets and online deliveries, and the lack of physical interaction with the food we buy and ingest. It is at times a difficult read – it’s not going to be possible for many of us to apply all our senses to food in the way she advocates – but there are some fascinating insights and a lot of sound advice which Bee delivers eloquently and sensitively. 

Written by Ruth Sullivan