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Roasted Parsnip Soup with Parsnip Crisps

Glass of Cornish Rattler

This post is primarily about Fairfields Farm Crisps but before I start I’d just like to mention today’s lunch because, I accidentally made one of the loveliest soups I have ever eaten!

Maple Roasted Parsnip Soup (from leftovers!)

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We bought 4 parsnips for 7p the other day and I forgot about them but found them in in the fridge today. I also found a cold cooked potato and a mug of ham stock left over after making ham and pease pudding. 

~   The parsnips were a bit iffy so I peeled them and roasted the best bits in olive oil. When almost cooked I drizzled them with a little maple syrup,
~   Simultaneously I cooked a small red onion till meltingly soft.
~   When the onions were completely tender and the parsnips soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside I ate the crispest of them and added the rest to the onions together with the chopped up cold potato and the ham stock.
~   After simmering for about 10 minutes I puréed the lot with some cream.

Normally I would have added a fair bit of black pepper but instead I ate the soup with a pack of Fairfields Farm Parsnip Crisps with Essex Honey and Black Pepper. I used a few for garnish but had to gobble them down quick before they lost their crunch. 

I realise this is a bit random, it is loosely based on my key soup recipe – I have written a whole book on the subject “SOUP (almost) the Only Recipe You’ll Ever Need” which contains 50+ recipes including a nice Maple Roasted Parsnip Soup. 

Fairfields Farm Crisps

Quite a few years ago I read a book by Jeffrey Steingarten; “The Man Who Ate Everything”, in which he said how, being a well known food writer, he was constantly being sent free stuff to review and I thought “That’s the life for me!”  Well here I am only 10 or 12 years later and I think it’s started already because the other day I received 7 packs of crisps from Fairfields Farm Crisps and I can only presume that this is the thin end of the wedge.

Fairfields Farm are award winning crisps; awards include 6 Great Taste Awards for three of their flavours and  Best Essex Retail Product 2010.  They are made in Essex by Laura and Robert Strathern from home grown potatoes. and are hand cooked on their farm near Colchester, Essex.  Other ingredients are sourced locally when possible, such as the Essex honey in the parsnip crisps.  With the exception of the Smoky Bacon, all Fairfields Farm Crisps are 100% natural, non-GM and are suitable for coeliacs and vegetarians.

One thing that concerned me about reviewing things was what would I say if the product was horrible?  Luckily, so far, this situation hasn’t arisen and these crisps are well worth recommending.  Thank you Fairfields Farm.

Fairfields Farm have released 3 new flavours in their range which now, in its complete form numbers 9:

~   NEW Butter & Mint

~   NEW No Salt

~   NEW Sea Salt & Black Pepper

~   Wicks Manor Smoky Bacon and Sunday Roast Potato

~   Lightly Sea Salted

~   Sea Salt and Aspall Cyder Vinegar

~   Sweet Thai Chilli

~   Suffolk Farmhouse Cheese and Chive

~   Parsnip Crisps with Essex Honey & Black Pepper

The flavour that most caught my eye was Parsnip Crisps with Essex Honey and Black Pepper and happily they sent me two packs of these because they are gorgeous.  I ate one packet with the soup above and the other one whilst sitting here typing this!  In my experience parsnips make somewhat harder and less crisp crisps than potatoes and so it was with these but that is the nature of the parsnip beast.  The flavour is excellent with a lovely afterglow of black pepper heat. 

The New No Salt crisps taste good and were quite moreish until I tried the Lightly Salted and then the No Salt seemed less flavoursome by comparison.  That’s salt for you, of course.  Both the Lightly Salted and No Salt had excellent potato flavour and great crunch.

The Smoky Bacon and Sunday Roast Potato Crisps I had with some egg mayonnaise because eating crisps always makes me fancy egg mayo.  The flavour was good and as one would expect – bacony!

I shall be looking out for their other new flavour, Butter & Mint which sounds just my sort of thing – nice with a (leftover) roast lamb sandwich! 

These “gratifying special crisps” are available from delis and farm shops and by mail order from  www.fairfieldsfarmcrisps.co.uk. Bags are 40g (70p) and 150g (RRP £1.75).