Colm O'Gorman's comforting cream of tomato soup with brown soda hazelnut bread

There aren’t many things more comforting than a bowl of my lovely cream of tomato soup.

The holidays are over, and we are all heading back to work, or school, or whatever our regular routine might be. The days are getting longer, but only by seconds so it is hard to sense it, and after the holidays, January can feel like a long month. After all the cooking, and eating, of the past few weeks, many people will be looking for simpler, lighter fare. But lighter does not have to mean less tasty, or less comforting, and comfort matters at this time of year.

There aren’t many things more comforting than a bowl of my lovely cream of tomato soup. My take on this classic soup is made using staple ingredients, the kinds of things you are likely to have in your cupboards, so this a great ‘go-to’ recipe when you need something quick and delicious. The one item you may not have to hand is evaporated milk, though I now always have a can in my cupboard just to make this soup. If you do not have any, you can use regular milk instead. It will lack some of the creaminess of evaporated milk, but it still works perfectly well. Just be careful not to use condensed milk by accident. Condensed milk is super sweet and would ruin this soup.