Just ring The Bell

Recently named as one of the hottest places to stay in the UK by The Independent newspaper, The Bell Hotel in Saxmundham has recently reopened after a year of refurbishment. The hotel’s new owners offer a 4* boutique hotel experience with exquisite cuisine that has made their restaurant one of the most popular places in the local area. The restaurant is gorgeous and the same can be said for the food offering, with menus packed with seasonal specials such as local farm partridge and Salter & King’s grass-fed dry-aged prime beef rump steak, plus popular year-round choices such in-house cheeseburger and crispy battered cod. You can also choose from a great value Prix Fixe Menu, opting for two or three courses, so whatever whets your appetite, The Bell has got it covered!

www.thebellhotelsaxmundham.co.uk about taste

Ingredients

For the stock:

½ an onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 celery stalk

Parsley stalks

Leftover roast chicken carcass

For the soup:

Glug of olive oil

½ an onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic - finely chopped

Pinch ground allspice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ litre of chicken stock

100g orzo

2 large vine ripe tomatoespeeled & diced

Handful of reserved chicken meat - shredded

2 tbsp finely chopped mint

2 tbsp finely chopped dill

2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Chicken, orzo, tomato, lemon and herb soup

In the winter there’s nothing more comforting than homemade chicken soup. This favourite recipe from chef Maria Elia is a warm hug in a bowl.

Method

For the stock

Pick the meat from the carcass and set aside, place the carcass in a large pan, add the onion and garlic, along with the celery & parsley stalks. Cover with water and place over a medium heat. Gently bring up to boiling then lower the heat and simmer for approx half an hour. Remove from heat, skim the surface of fat and pass through a fine sieve, discarding the vegetables and allow to cool.

For the soup

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the onion and cook gently until softened and transparent, then add the garlic, allspice and cinnamon and cook for a minute more. Now add the chicken stock and bring almost to the boil before adding the orzo, tomatoes and chicken. Reduce the heat and simmer and cook for approx 8 minutes or until the orzo is tender.

Take off the heat, add the fresh herbs and lemon juice and season with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive.

(Recipe from Smashing Plates courtesy of Maria Elia)