What else can I throw in to the pot with the chicken carcass, onions, carrots and celery hearts, to make it not the same soup we've had a million times?

[Lulumama]

please!

bay leaves, peppercorns...

get fancy with it once you've got the stock sorted

Barley or lentils.

Asian or mexican vibe?

Assuming you have these:

• a few slices of fresh ginger ( fish out before serving)
• a tsp of sesame oil
• a tbsp or 2 of soy sauce
• dried black chinese mushroom if you have
• LOTS of fresh chopped coriander to garnish.

You can also add thin rice vermicelli 5 mn before end of cooking.

Skip the sesame oil and replace soy sauce with fish sauce and add lemongrass for a thai version.
You would however need coconut milk for the last boil and a squeeze of lime juice

OR

Boils as you would normally do and 5 mn before serving:
throw in a can of chickpeas, season with lime juice and 1/2 tsp cumin powder.
Fresh coriander works very well here too

Fresh cili optional in all the above

ditto asian (add lemon grass ginger, chilli to pot) then at last minute stir in tin of cocunt milk, some lemon juice and some chopped coriander or mint

Chilli, cumin and chickpeas.

Throw in a lot of paprika and tomatoes to give it a hungarian vibe. Serve with plain pasta/rice and dollop sour cream.

If you have garlic and ginger plus onions and spices in t'cupboard you can make a curried soup. Fry onions for 20 mins, whiz thumb of ginger and about 5 cloves in blender with splash water, add that to onions. Add teaspoons ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli powder/cayenne/hot paprika, add the rest of your ingredients and top up with stock. If you have creamed coconut yoy can make this into a liquid and add that, and/or tin toms.

lovely, lovely ideas... i have some lemongrass and chilli too.. and bought some sesame oil this morning..

no-one in my house likes chickpease except me though.

thanks everyone xxxxxx

Dried porcini mushrooms add a stunning soft savoury flavour to almost anything. About £2.70 for a small packet that will do two or three meals.

You can add them to just about any style of cooking (as you would with ordinary mushrooms) - Chinese, Thai, Mexican, French, British-style soups and stews, Italian etc.

They are particularly lovely in Thai green coconut curry.

mmmmm to curried soup.