Cookdown in Lockdown

I am proud to say that I carried on a family tradition today.

It has been a long time coming. In fact I cannot ever recall when I last did it, if at all.

I am talking about the practice of boiling up a chicken carcass to make soup.

I was brought up physically and mentally nurtured by the best of parents. I never wanted for anything even though I did grumble and feel deprived at times when those in my peer group were seemingly able to get everything and anything of a material nature that they desired.

I realise now in my senior years that the most important thing in the formative and childhood years is not the latest in toys and tech but a stable and nurturing environment.

The part that home made chicken soup played in my upbringing cannot be understated.

A roast dinner on a Sunday was a big family event. It appeared as if by magic on the dining table and us children could not understand how. Sunday was hectic anyway what with a commitment to attending church and also the disappearance of Father down the road for a couple of pints of beer with a neighbour but even with such pressures on time and getting five of us washed, dressed and presentable we were always presented with a wholesome meal. It will have taken a lot of preparation and work but it appeared before our eyes as if by magic.

Carving of the cooked chicken was a performance in itself and we all got a good lot of meat to go with the roast spuds, boiled cabbage, garden peas, carrots and gravy. The carcass appeared to be depleted but it was not thrown in the bin and it found its way into a big saucepan to be boiled for soup.  This would keep the family going for a good couple of days.

A bowl of chicken soup was a Monday mainstay in our house. Chances were that I had managed to feel too poorly to attend school and ended up having the best helping of the golden broth. There is nothing better to make you feel cosy and cosseted, full and satisfied.

I found today's soup making quite nostalgic and calming.

We had enjoyed a small  roast chicken as a treat in the current home stay period. In true frugal and Good Housekeeping style the cold meat had stretched to a couple of sandwiches but beyond that I had always discarded what was leftover.

It was quite simple and straightforward to strip down the carcass, save the best of the remaining meat and then put everything on the stove. After forty five minutes of simmering (the chicken- not me) I was ready to drain and strain away the liquid before eventually returning it to the pan onto prepared veg, seasoning, the salvaged meat and small pasta shapes.

After a rapid zwizz in a blender I am really looking forward to lunch tomorrow in the good old family tradition- lockdown style.