Ideally, the purpose of a snack is to keep us nourished and ‘on our toes’ until our next meal - SO - it should be occasional, small, tasty, nutritious, filling, fresh, transportable and quick - and preferably, it should NOT be a response to a sugar craving, an answer to boredom or a totally mindless moment! That’s when most of us come undone and somehow or another, the pounds start accumulating around our waistline!

To get the maximum nourishment from the said snack, perhaps you might like to download my suggestions, stick those you fancy on your mobile phone which may become your ‘go to’ and hopefully never find yourself in that place where a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar are the only options!

No, not this time - I want to talk about Miso Soup, often forgotten when we need a bit of a pick-me-up when the weather is cold, damp and unforgiving and especially right now when it comes to attracting ‘a particular virus’!

This recipe is from the Planet Organic Cookbook which was published way back in 2000 (think it may, sadly be no longer available but seek it out and you may be lucky) and created by Renee Elliot and Eric Treuille (he of Books for Cooks in Notting Hill fame). What a shop, what an experience and I am proud to say that he once stocked my Soup Cookbook - and - displayed it in the window!

The secret for selecting miso for soups is that red miso is thicker and saltier and is traditionally used in winter soups and white miso is more delicate and sweeter and is preferred for lighter, summer soups. I think you will find that red miso is the one for the job here, but it’s up to you.