I am such a lucky girl. I often get sent the nicest things. I have always wanted an Emma Bridgewater Mug. My ex boss had several in her mug drawer in the kitchen and I always loved using them. I have been known to go to the Emma Bridgewater Page and drool for hours at a time, wishin' and hopin' . . . I know Susan Branch loves them too and she shared her visit to the plant with us in her latest book. (Which I devoured from cover to cover!)
Imagine my excitement when this box arrived in the post late last week. I could hardly wait to open it! What did I find inside???? Well . . .
None other than their brand new 2013 Halloween half pint mug!! I know!!! So excited! A Halloween celebration of the ghoulish gourd and hand decorated with beautifully coloured hand-sponged pumpkins!! It's generous size makes it just perfect for a warming brew or cup of soup on All Hallows’ Eve. I love the colours! It's so perfectly pretty, and decorated both inside and out with these beautifully painted gourds and blossoms!
British to the Core, Emma Bridgewater Pottery is all created from warm, cream-coloured earthenware and hand decorated at their factory in Stoke-on-Trent. In a day and age where a lot of the things we buy are created and manufactured in foreign countries it is nice to see a British company selling British creation. To me that only makes them even more special. I love them. Do take a gander over to their page and see what they create. I guarantee you will fall in love like I did. I now have my eye on a Peter Rabbit mug and have fallen completely head-over-heels in love with her robins. Who knows, maybe the Toddster will indulge me this Christmas!
It was the perfect mug to enjoy this new soup which I created as a Halloween warmer this year. I thought about doing pumpkin or sweet potato, but then settled on a warming spiced tomato soup. I always have tons of tinned tomatoes in my larder and I wanted to use what I had to hand . . . and that way you would be sure to have those ingredients to hand as well . . . or at least I hope that you do!
Sweet onions, tinned tomatoes, red chillies for heat, some garlic and stock and a bit of herbs is all you need to make this delicious soup. You can adjust the amount of chillies according to how much heat you do or do not enjoy! Obviously the more you add the spicier it will be. I am a chilli wimp myself . . . I don't like things too overly hot . . .
Mind you, the garnish of sour cream helps to cool it down a bit. I got a bit fancy and piped it on with a baggie and dragged a toothpick through it so that it looked incredibly spider-webbed Halloween Ghoulishly frightful!
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It worked beautifully. Mind you, then I got all common (as my ex boss would say) and crumbled my crackers into my soup but that is just me! Not a pretentious bone in my body! Enjoy!
*Spiced Tomato Soup*Serves 4 to 6 Printable Recipe
A deliciously easy soup which uses store cupboard ingredients for the most part. Very quick to put together!
a splash of olive oil
2 400g tins of good quality chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (2 14oz tins)450ml of good quality chicken stock2 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar1 medium onion, peeled and chopped1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced1 tsp brown sugar1 tsp salt1/2 tsp fennel seeds1/4 tsp black pepper1 small red chilli, trimmed, seeded and finely chopped(wear gloves and don't touch your face!)
To serve:sour cream
Heat a splash of olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and red chilies, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened without browning. Stir in the garlic and fennel seed. Cook and stir for about a minute. Add the vinegar. Cook, until the vinegar has reduced and almost evaporated. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, the chicken stock, seasoning and brown sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz until smooth with an immersion blender. Reheat gently. Ladle into hot bowls, and garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream.
Many thanks to Emma Bridgewater for sending me this mug. I just love it!
