Four free-range chickens were used for today’s BUX chicken noodle soup. For a couple of hours the office was filled with the lovely smell of chicken stock, just like home 😉

Ingredients (serves 6)

1 celery heart
200 g small carrots
100 g baby leeks
2 cloves of garlic
200 g small onions
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 x 1.4 kg whole free-range chicken
2-3 fresh bay leaves
1 handful of parsley stalks
dry sherry
1 pinch of saffron
sweet ginger vinegar , optional
300 g mixed fine pasta shapes

Method

Roughly chop the celery heart, peel and trim the carrots and trim the leeks. Peel the garlic, onions and ginger, keeping them whole.
Place into a very large saucepan with the chicken, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Season well with sea salt and black pepper and add enough water to just cover the chicken (about 3 litres).
Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove everything from the pan, leaving only the stock. Throw away the herbs and ginger and once it’s cool enough to touch, shred the chicken.
Bring the stock back to the boil and add a good splash of sherry, the saffron and a splash of ginger vinegar (if using).
Add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is al dente.
Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and simmer over low heat until they are warmed through.