Even though Winter doesn’t officially begin until late in December, it’s started to turn very cold and we’ve definitely been feeling the effects here at Takeaway Packaging HQ.

We’ve been thinking about the best way to keep warm while we prepare for a busy festive season.

One suggestion was that we could line ourselves in super-insulating Double Wall Paperboard. After all, it’s the same material we use for some of our bespoke, branded coffee cups and that certainly stays hot.

It wasn’t until lunchtime two days ago, when the hunger pangs kicked in, that the perfect solution to keeping warm became obvious to us…Soup.

We love eating soup. We love making soup. We love designing pots for soup.

Are your customers short on time but don’t want to miss a cosy café soup lunch?

Look no further.

Our custom soup pots solve the cosy-soup/working-lunch dilemma. There’s simply no need for your customers to eat in and fall behind on work when they can take your soup with them.

Bespoke designs mean you can maintain your branding presence, and snug, branded lids mean that your delicious soup travels safely and secure, from kettle to desk.

We’ve selected 3 of our favourite recipes for soup inspired by the festive season to tempt you and your customers.

Creamy Cauliflower and Bacon Soup

This soup is simple, creamy, smokey and comforting. Bacon and cauliflower pair so well together and this is sure to be a winner.

Check out this awesome recipe in full here

(Makes 4 servings, scale as necessary)

You will need:
8 rashers of bacon, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 spring onions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
4 medium cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 litre of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
350ml of heavy cream
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.. Heat bacon in a large heavy-based pan, stirring constantly until bacon is completely crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

2. Add onions, half the spring onions and garlic. Cook and stir constantly, scraping browned bits from bottom of the pan until the onions have softened.

3. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, cream and cauliflower then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until cauliflower is tender.

4. Using a stick blender (or equivalent), blend soup until completely smooth (may need to be done in batches).

5. Strain if extra-smooth is desired. Stir in a little more hot chicken stock if too thick.

6. Season with salt and pepper and serve with sprinkled crispy bacon pieces and the remaining spring onions.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is perfect for curing wintery chills. It’s spicy, a bit different and contains a glug of Santa’s favourite drink.

Check out LuvMyFamily recipe for more details

(Makes 8 servings, scale as necessary)

You will need:
1.5kg of butternut squash, peeled and seeded
50g butter
1 medium onion
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 litre of chicken stock
2 large potatoes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground pepper
125ml sherry
125ml double cream
125ml milk
125ml soured cream (optional garnish)

1.. Preheat oven to 190 C. Pour small layer of water into a baking dish. Place the squash halves cut-side-down on the dish.

2. Bake for around 40 mins or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Allow to cool slightly, then remove the peel and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until tender.

4. Pour the chicken stock into the pot. Add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Cook for about 20 mins or until soft.
Add the squash and mash with the potatoes until the chunks are small. Use a stick blender to purée the soup until smooth (a food processor used in batches would also work).

5. Season the soup with the cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir in the sherry, cream and milk. Heat through, but do not boil.

6. After serving, top with a dollop of soured cream, and smile.

Mulligatawny Soup

Our final choice is a bold one. Similarly to number 2, it’s full of warming spices and wintery veg. This heritage-rich dish harks back to the British Raj and is steeped in history as much as it is peppery, curried-beef stock.
This is a soup for park benches in the winter and watching the world go by.

Credit to Waitrose for their fantastic recipe.

(Makes 4 servings, scale as necessary)

You will need:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
250g minced beef
2 carrots, cut into 1cm cubes
300g butternut squash, cut into 1cm cubes
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
5cm piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp Marsala curry paste
400g chopped tomatoes
1 litre beef stock
1 tbsp mango chutney
100g basmati rice
Handful fresh coriander, chopped

1.. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the minced beef, and cook with the onion until it is browned all over, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go.

2. Stir in the carrots and butternut squash, and toss together with the mince and onions cooking for just a few minutes, then stir in the chilli and ginger, and cook for a further minute.

3. Add the curry paste and chopped tomatoes, and mix, then add the stock and mango chutney. Simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

4. Meanwhile, place the rice in a small saucepan and cover with cold water about 3cm above the level rice. Bring to the boil and simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the rice.

5. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to sit while the soup is cooking.

6. Stir the rice into the soup along with the chopped coriander. Then serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt.

There you have it, 3 soups we are sure will help you and your customers to survive the cold and start feeling festive.

Not as obsessed with soup as we are? Try filling our pots with a hearty winter stew or start the day right with porridge sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Talk to us about designing your own soup cups, we can brand the lids too.