It’s the perfect time of year to invest in the best soup maker. We’ve reviewed top soup makers from Morphy Richards, Lakeland, Judge, Drew & Cole, and Salter to bring you our top picks for making seasonal soups in under half an hour. When testing we made all sorts of delicious lunches, from a simple leek and potato to a spicy curried butternut squash soup. 

Each and every one of the best soup makers in our guide has been tested hands-on by Millie Fender, our small appliances expert, and ranked for ease of use, capacity, and features. Although none of them can go in the dishwasher because they come with electric-powered bases, many of the best soup makers have a self-clean button that blitzes any remnants of your soup from the blades or sides of the jug. Some of the soup makers in our guide can also be used in the place of the best blender to make smoothies and even crush ice. 

Other features we enjoyed were delayed start settings, which allow you to add your ingredients and come back in up to 12 hours to find a jug of freshly-cooked soup, and clear designs so you can see your food cooking. 

What is the best soup maker?

We tested five of the best soup makers on the market, and the one that came out on top was the Drew & Cole Soup Chef Pro. We were seriously wowed by the soup it produced, which was smooth and creamy, and it offers a delay start mode. If you’re looking for a soup maker that’s got a clear cooking container, we love the Morphy Richards Clarity Soup Maker. It’s got a clear tritan jug and heats very fast.

1. Drew and Cole Soup Chef Pro

Best soup maker for delay starts

Capacity: 1.6 litres
Modes: 3
Features: Saute, delay start

Reasons to buy: 

• Saute setting
• Memory function (perfect for adding ingredients)
• Delay start of up to 12 hours
• Takes only 20 minutes

Reasons to avoid: 

• It’s quite large

If you like the sound of coming home to a fresh cooked soup that you prepared before you left home, the Drew & Cole Soup Chef Pro is the best soup maker for you. It’s easy to delay the start by 30-minute intervals up to 12 hours, and the smooth cooking mode takes just 19 minutes. There’s also a smooth+ setting for seriously velvety soups, but even on the regular setting, we had zero issues with lumps or grainy ingredients. Everything was perfectly silky and cooked just how we like it. 

Another major perk is the saute setting, which is on the handle of the soup maker. You can sear your onions or garlic using this mode before adding stock and starting the blending setting. For the quality of the design, we also think it comes at a great price. 

Ideal Home rated 5 out of 5 stars

2. Morphy Richards Clarity Soup Maker

Best soup maker with a clear jug

Capacity: 1.6 litres
Modes: 3
Features: Clear tritan jug, straightforward controls
Power: 1000 watts

Reasons to buy: 

• Watch your soup as it cooks
• Speedy meals in 21 minutes
• Effective self-cleaning
• Keep warm function

Reasons to avoid: 

• The working capacity isn’t the largest

The Morphy Richards Clarity Soup Maker warns you that ingredients could stick to the bottom when cooking, but we had no issues with this when making our soups in it. Straight out of the box, it’s very easy to assemble. We were surprised to find that the jug is not glass, but felt like plastic. In fact, it is tritan, which is a very durable but lightweight material free from BPA. 

The smooth soup setting is only 22 minutes, which means you can set your soup up to cook and finish your bowl within the same lunch break. Cooking was very speedy, and the ingredients were simmering within five minutes of us turning it on. The controls at the top are straightforward to use, and there is one for smooth, chunky, and smoothie, and clean. The quality of the blending was great, and it also has a keep warm function that kept our soup perfect for drinking after it had finished blending. 

Ideal Home rated 5 out of 5 stars

3. Lakeland Touchscreen Soup and Smoothie Maker

Best high-end soup maker

Capacity: 1.75-2 litres
Modes: 4
Features: Self-clean, can also crush ice
Power: 1000 watts

Reasons to buy: 

• Transparent tritan jug
• Easy controls
• Recipes included
• Speedy soup making

Reasons to avoid: 

• An expensive option that won’t fit under counters

The Lakeland Touchscreen Soup & Smoothie Maker is by far the most premium-looking option we tested. It has a price tag to match, though, so if you drink a lot of soup then it will be a great investment.

With a modern design and a blender-like jug, it has modes for smooth and chunky soups as well as sauces and even iced drinks. We really enjoyed the control panel, which made the process very easy, and the timer also helped to know when to add any extras. We were able to add cream to our tomato soup once the blending started thanks to a removable lid insert. If you want an extra smooth finish you can also just blend without heating once your soup has finished. The auto-clean function was also very effective. 

Ideal Home rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

4. Judge Soup Maker

Best soup maker for extra functions

Capacity: 1.2 litres
Modes: 6
Features: Can steam eggs and reheat

Reasons to buy: 

• Heats very fast
• Easy to pour
• Comes with an egg cooker
• Removable cap in lid

Reasons to avoid: 

• Smaller capacity than some
• The lid is quite fiddly

The Judge Soup Maker has a capacity of 1.7 litres, but if you’re making soup it will only take up to 1.2 litres. We found that it heated up very fast, and because the jug is plastic and see-through it’s possible to watch your soup as it cooks. 

We enjoyed the powerful blending modes which left us with a very smooth soup, and because it’s got a classic blender-style design you can also use the Judge Soup Maker to make chilled drinks. The removable cap allows you to add ingredients while it’s cooking, but we did find that the lid was sometimes tricky to lock into place. 

Ideal Home rated 4 out of 5 stars

5. Salter Electric Homemade Healthy Soup Maker

Best value soup maker

Capacity: 1.3 to 1.6 litres
Modes: 2
Features: Self-clean, blend button

Reasons to buy: 

• Budget-friendly option
• Heatproof handle
• Simple controls

Reasons to avoid: 

• Some ingredients burnt to the bottom

Salter’s soup maker is the most budget-friendly option in our guide, and it’s a trusted choice to make either chunky or smooth soups. You are warned that ingredients can burn to the bottom before use, and a good way to fix this is to add some oil to prevent sticking, but we still found that there was a little burning after our soup was finished.

There are two soup modes: smooth, chunky, and one for blending or self-cleaning. The self-clean mode is very effective at removing residue from the blending blade. We also liked using the blend setting to add an extra blitz for soups we wanted a little smoother. 

Ideal Home rated 4 out of 5 stars

How we tested the best soup makers

Making broccoli and stilton soup in the Lakeland touchscreen soup maker

Soup makers can be used to make all types of different soups, including chunky, smooth, and even gazpacho. When testing the best soup makers we cooked a variety of recipes to make sure they were all up to the task of making even tricky soups. Some classics, like butternut squash or leek and potato, will blend very easily into velvety smooth soups, whereas others like pea soup or broccoli and stilton, will need to be very well cooked and blended to achieve the consistency you’re after.

Making butternut squash soup in the Judge soup maker

We also made a lot of tomato soup using tomatoes and red peppers to see if the skin would pose a challenge to the cooking and blending, and while we used the same recipes, it was amazing to see the slight (or sometimes not-so-slight) differences that arose between different soup makers upon testing. 

The post Best soup maker 2021: reviews of our top 5 for seasonal soups appeared first on Ideal Home.

A mum has transformed her formerly cramped kitchen into a light and bright haven. Before she and her husband extended their home, the kitchen lacked natural light and offered little space for entertaining.

Now, the white kitchen extension is a calming yet functional space perfect for everyday family life. And it’s sparking lots of white kitchen ideas for our own dream reno.

I mean, look at those fluted glass pendant lights…

Image credit: @mycheshiregreyhome

We spoke to Stephanie (@thecheshiregreyhome) about her inspiration for the white kitchen extension and how she made her kitchen ideas a reality. You can see how the kitchen looked before on this Instagram post.

‘I love bright and airy spaces that make you feel calm when you walk into them,’ she tells us. ‘So I really wanted to use this as the inspiration for our kitchen extension.’

The interiors and lifestyle blogger says that she also loves taking inspiration from nature and the coast. And, like the rest of us, she gets plenty of ideas for colour schemes and decor from Pinterest and Instagram.

Image credit: @mycheshiregreyhome

‘My husband and I narrowed down our main priorities for the space; a utility room, an open plan kitchen with a large island and a snug space. We already have a downstairs WC so didn’t need to take this into consideration,’ Stephanie says.

They then contacted a local architect, who designed an L-shaped wrap around extension. This included an office at the front of the house, a utility room off the kitchen and a large open plan kitchen with a dining room and snug.

The extension went out 3.5m from the back of the house. After this, they contacted several builders to get quotes for the job and get a feel for how their team would work in their home.

Image credit: @mycheshiregreyhome

Work began in November 2020, when Stephanie was six months pregnant with her baby boy, Theo. The build continued until the end of May.

‘We are still not quite finished with the utility room and snug area,’ Stephanie tells us. ‘But it all takes time (and money!)’

Stephanie and her husband remortgaged their home in order to fund the extension. With the equity, they were able to get the ball rolling. Luckily, Will and his dad are really handy so they did a lot to save money, like fitting the heating and radiators.

Image credit: @mycheshiregreyhome

We’re obsessed with the ceiling pendant lights, from Juice Electrical Supplies and the herringbone flooring from Invictus. The instant boiling tap is from Fohen.

Stephanie’s top tip for an extension is to live in the space first and see how you use it before planning your kitchen extension ideas. She also suggests narrowing down your top three priorities for the build.

The post An interiors lover shares her stunning white kitchen makeover appeared first on Ideal Home.

Nurseries are deceptively expensive to decorate, however, a thrifty Mum from Northumberland managed to create a safari nursery for under £500.

Jungle-themed wallpapers and animal wall stickers are a popular theme when it comes to kid’s room ideas. However, if you are looking for a way to get the look on a budget, be inspired by this nursery makeover by Kayleigh Aspin from Northumberland.

Safari-themed nursery makeover

‘I kept seeing safari-themed bedrooms online and I fell in love with them,’ Kayleigh told money-saving community LatestDeals. ‘They always seemed a bit too grown-up for my 18-month-old son Parker though, but I thought I could definitely do this and make it more of a fun design for him.’

Before

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

Plain green-painted walls gave Kayleigh the basis for her new look, but she knew she was going to have to get creative to keep it within budget. Hunting on the internet for cheap deals, and making her own accessories helped keep costs down and made it all the more special.

‘I’m a single mum and did all of the room myself, working through Parker’s naps,’ she says. ‘It took me over five months!’

After

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

The new, colourful space is super sensory, with jungle-themed wallhangings, animals on swings and even a leafy canopy over the crib.

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

The leaf garland above the window adds a tropical touch to the room and Kayleigh admits to coming up with the idea during a midnight feed! ‘I bought the jungle leaves from Shein and attached them to some twine,’ she says, ‘then I hung it up with some hooks! In total it cost me around £20 to create.’

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

A large statement wall hanging hangs next to Parker’s cot where he can see it while lying down. ‘I bought the safari-themed tapestry from Shein and made a frame using some wood, which I stapled the tapestry onto,’ says Kayleigh. ‘It came out so beautifully and at a total cost of only £11!’

Image credit: Kayleigh Aspin

Looking for online bargains helped keep costs down, such as the bookcase from Amazon that Kayleigh bought with a voucher for five per cent off, bringing the price to £68.99.

The post Thrifty mum created a stunning safari nursery for less than £500 using a few clever tricks appeared first on Ideal Home.

Mrs Hinch has revealed which products she uses to keep her fridge organised – and we need them in our lives urgently. The cleanfluencer with 4 million followers on Instagram is constantly posting tips and tricks for a tidy home, and glimpses of her family life.

This includes the inside of her incredibly organised fridge. We’re always on the hunt for new kitchen storage ideas to keep the heart of the home looking neat, and Mrs Hinch’s fridge organisers look like a fab solution.

Image credit: David Giles

Mrs Hinch’s fridge organisers

Mrs Hinch, AKA Sophie Hinchliffe, uses some handy, clear fridge organisers from The Home Edit. The Home Edit & iDesign All Purpose Storage Basket, from John Lewis are quite pricey, but look like they’re worth the splurge.

‘For those asking, I do recommend @thehomeedit fridge drawers!’ says Mrs Hinch. ‘They have definitely given me so much more room!

‘I love being able to see what I have and prepping it ready,’ she adds. ‘Definitely recommend them guys (I bought mine in @johnlewis).’

Image credit: Alamy

We must admit, Mrs Hinch’s fridge demonstrates a level of organisation we can only aspire to. They’re also a rainbow of colour.

Spinach leaves, grapes and Sunday roast vegetables are all removed from their packaging and placed in their own container. Mrs Hinch has even gone a step further and labelled her plastic storage boxes using a label maker from Amazon.

The Home Edit & iDesign All Purpose Storage Basket | £16
As seen on Netflix’s Get Organized With The Home Edit

View Deal

The handle on these fridge organisers makes them super easy to use. If anything, they’ll definitely prevent you from discovering a half-frozen, week-old bag of spinach at the back of the fridge.

Reviews on the John Lewis website praise their strong and sturdy design and stackable, space-saving qualities. Our kitchen cabinets are crying out for some of these – and they’d make cleaning inside our cupboards less of a faff.

Image credit: John Lewis

We also think they’d work well as a bathroom storage idea or for neatly storing nail polish. Alternatively, the sleek storage boxes would be a great place to put odds and ends that just you can’t find a home for.

Phone chargers, random wires, batteries that actually work… Will you be picking some up?

The post Mrs Hinch reveals the secret to her tidy fridge appeared first on Ideal Home.