Darina Allen: Here is my formula for the perfect bowl of soup, and a chicken stock recipe

Years ago when I first cooked in the kitchen at Ballymaloe House, Myrtle Allen showed me this brilliant formula used to make many of the delicious soups on the menu

It's a soupy kind of day. I’m sitting by the fire listening to the horizontal rain spattering against the windowpane. I’ve totally abandoned my plans for the afternoon and I’ve decided to make a big pot of comforting soup instead.

Don’t we all love soup? I always have a few containers in the freezer – two portion pots that can be defrosted in just a few minutes in any emergency – a readymade hug in a bowl.