Somersfield Mother And Daughter Win Soup-A-Bowl Competition

The 5th Annual Eliza Dolittle Society Soup-A-Bowl Competition top finalists. From left to right: third place winner Erica Fuhry; second place winner Nicky Gurret; first place winners Kayley and Tracey Gibbons are pictured with the grand prize, which is a hand-painted soup tureen, platter, ladle, and eight matching bowls all designed by The Island Shop's Barbara Finsness.

March 04, 2011 — A mother and daughter team won the fifth annual Eliza DoLittle Soup-A-Bowl Competition this year. Tracey and Kayley Gibbons beat out 25 contestants. They entered the competition with one of the family’s favourite recipes, a tomato, spinach and basil soup. Mrs Gibbons explained that she had made the soup for years without the basil. Her daughter Kayley suggested they add it for a school competition she was entering.

The ten-year-old said: We had some growing in the garden so I thought it worth trying because basil goes really well with tomatoes. “The Italians use it in their tomato dishes.” The youngster has been cooking and baking with her mom since she was only a toddler. “When I was about two I started making cookies, cakes, waffles and pancakes with my mum,” she said.

She won the Budding Chef Competition last year at Sommersfield Academy. She didn’t expect to win this recent competition but said: “I kept my hopes high. I’m really proud to have won something like this even though I’m only ten.” Having chefs from the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Fairmont Southampton prepare the dish was a plus, she added. “It was pretty cool. The chefs were really nice and they did a good job cooking all the soups. “It tasted pretty close, but not exactly [as] they put in more spinach than I put in.” And she says she enjoyed the difference as it “was good and healthy”.

The young chef also bakes for the Eliza DoLittle Society’s feeding programme. “[I bake] sugar cookies, cup cakes. Mainly sweet things.” She said: “It makes me feel nice inside [to make something for those who are less fortunate].

Tomato and Spinach Soup

• 2 large 28 oz cans of Italian tomatoes

• 1 14 oz can chicken stock ( or vegetable if you want to keep it vegetarian)

• 1 large onion

• Knob of butter

• 4-5 cloves of garlic ( this can be adjusted depending how much you like or dislike garlic)

• A small carton of heavy cream.

• 1 c frozen chopped spinach (again the amount of spinach can be adjusted to your taste)

• About 15 leaves of fresh basil chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fry up the onion and garlic in the butter until starting to brown. Add tinned tomatoes and warm through. Puree mixture in a blender. Put back into pan. Add the frozen spinach and heat until bubbling. Add basil and then take off the heat. Add the heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve.

This can also be made without the spinach and basil for a simple rustic tomato soup. I sometimes add a teaspoon of sugar to bring out the tomato flavour. This can be served with a sprinkling of cheddar, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top and of course a big chunk of warm crusty bread.

Originally published in The Royal Gazette.