Not another spill! Soup Stains

As the days turn cooler and autumn approaches, there’s nothing better than a hearty homemade soup on a cold day. A pick-me-up when you’re unwell, making nutritious soups is a great way to pack extra vitamins and minerals into your diet.

Among the messiest foods to eat, soup splashes, drips and spills can stain your table linen and clothing.

To enjoy the most popular autumn soups without making a mess, follow our advice on avoiding these accidents and our top stain removal tips. Should an accident happen, Vanish has a range of products that can get rid of stains in no time!

From tomato and carrot through to pea and lettuce, there aren’t many vegetables that can’t be made into a delicious soup. Here’s a selection of the best autumn recipes:

• Butternut squash
  Melt 25g butter in a large pot, and cook one chopped onion, celery stalk, carrot, two medium-sized peeled and diced potatoes and one medium-sized peeled and diced squash for five minutes, or until lightly browned.

Add a sprig of rosemary and a pinch of cumin seeds before pouring in up to 500ml chicken stock to cover vegetables. Reduce the heat and simmer for up to 40 minutes, before blending until smooth. Finish with salt and pepper.

• Minestrone
  Boil one litre of vegetable stock with 400g chopped tomatoes. Add 100g thin spaghetti, broken into short lengths and cook for six minutes. When the pasta is almost cooked add 350g mixed vegetables, such as peas and carrots. Bring to the boil, season and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

• Chicken and noodle soup
  Begin by preparing the noodles in advance. Mix two eggs, four tablespoons of milk, one tsp of salt and 255g of flour together until a stiff dough is formed. Leave to air dry for 30 minutes before cutting into thin slices.

In a large saucepan add two litres of chicken stock, onion, celery carrots and garlic. Fill to the top with water and leave to simmer for two hours. Add 500g chopped cooked chicken and one chicken stock cube and leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes. Bring to the boil and add noodles, stirring regularly for 20 minutes.

Simply serve your delicious homemade chicken noodle soup!

When it comes to soup etiquette, there are several things you can do to avoid unnecessary spills both in the kitchen and at the dining table.

• Use a ladle
  When serving one of your yummy autumn soups, it’s tempting to pour it from the pot directly into your bowl. In order to avoid drips and stains, it is recommended to always use a ladle to pour the soup from pot to soup bowls.

• Place soup bowls on an under-plate
  Place your steaming bowl of soup on an under-plate to make it easier to carry. Being careful to put a piece of tissue paper between the bowl and plate for grip, using an under-plate will not only help to catch any drips it can also double as a place to put your bread in.

• Use a napkin
  While it’s not the most fashionable look, tucking your napkin into your collar is a good way to guarantee any soup drips are caught before they stain your clothes.

When a soup stain happens despite all your precautions, how you treat your stain will depend on the type of soup:

• Tomato-based soups
  To remove orange stains caused by tomato-based soups, prevent the stain from setting by flushing it with cold water as soon as possible. Blot with a paper towel and soak in a mixture of four litres of warm water and one scoop of Vanish Gold Oxi Action powder for one hour. Afterwards, add an extra scoop of powder and wash as normal.

• Meat soup stains
  To remove stubborn stains left behind by meat, tackle your stain with Vanish Oxi Action Gel. Apply this fast-acting formula directly onto your stain, rub with the head of the bottle and leave for up to five minutes before washing as usual.

• All other soup stains
  Working to remove tough stains in just 30 seconds, apply Vanish Oxi Action Gel directly onto the stain. Rub in a circular motion using the specially designed head and leave for 10 minutes before washing normally, with an additional 60ml scoop of Vanish.

You can continue to enjoy all of these delicious homemade soup recipes this autumn. If you can’t prevent the stains, Vanish makes stain removal fast and easy so you don’t have to worry about anything except enjoying the delicious soup!