I asked 5 chefs to name their favourite soup recipes - all are better than tomato

Soup makes for both a simple and comforting autumnal dish, and with plenty of choices out there, there's something for everyone. Whatever your dietry requirements or choices there's always some form of soup you can make at home (or buy from the supermarket).

And while the average person might pick up a can of soup or make a simple one at home, professional chefs have been known to push the boat out a little further. With this in mind, I spoke to five chefs who all shared their favourite soup recipes. And while some may require a little bit more effort, there are others that are actually surprisingly easy.

If you're looking to impress and bring a bit of Michelin-starred magic to your dining table this soup season, then this recipe from the multi-Michelin-starred Steve Smith, Head Chef at Latymer, Pennyhill Park, certainly fits the bill. Sharing this recipe with Express.co.uk, Steve adds that while there's a bit more to do than your bog-standard home soup, it's still not an overly onerous dish for any avid cook.

Ingredients:

• 250g unsalted butter
• 100g onion, chopped
• 100g used coffee grounds
• One clove of garlic
• One sprig of thyme
• 1kg Jerusalem artichokes, peeled
• 1.5l Vegetable stock
• 500ml Crème Fraiche
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Start by melting the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Then add the artichokes, shallots and garlic, sauteeing until they are caramelised.

Add the stock and bring it back to the boil. Simmer until the artichokes are cooked through. Add the coffee and leave it to infuse for 10 minutes.

Blend together and pass through a chinois or sieve if using one. Add the creme fraiche, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

"Pumpkin is such a brilliant ingredient and we forget how versatile it is," says James, the Chef Director at Rockwater. "I love that earthy sweetness, and pairing it with ginger gives it a proper kick. The orange juice adds freshness, and the thyme ties it all together. It's simple, but full of flavour - the kind of soup you can serve as a starter at a dinner party or just enjoy with a thick slice of buttered sourdough."

Ingredients:

• 5kg pumpkin flesh, chopped into small pieces
• 1.5kg leeks, washed and roughly chopped
• 180g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• Butter
• One litre of orange juice
• One bunch of thyme
• Four bay leaves
• 10 litres of vegetable stock
• Your choice of seasoning

Method

Place the butter in a pan. Add the leeks, pumpkin, ginger, thyme, and bay leaves. Sweat until soft. Add orange juice and reduce slightly.

Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend, strain, and season to taste. Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds and buttered sourdough.

Sharing his recipe for watercress soup, chef and restaurateur Mark Hix, sungs the praises of this leafy green vegetable: "Hampshire and Dorset are centres of watercress production and it's at its best in winter. Yet while we will happily munch our way through a pile of rocket, we neglect our local peppery equivalent. So often watercress ends up as a garnish, left behind on the plate instead of being eaten and enjoyed as a nutritious vegetable.

"As with most soups and sauces made with leafy green herbs, overcooking can kill the flavour and colour of watercress. So, cook briefly and chill quickly to preserve the delicate taste of this underused English leaf. Eaten raw it can be so strong it helps to mix it with other leaves or try it with orange. Asian flavours, too, suit it well. Apart from salads, though, it makes a great, tasty and quick soup.

"The strong taste and colour of watercress is a reminder of its high iron content. In the past it was also recommended for fighting scurvy, the ailment caused by too little vitamin C."

Ingredients:

• 250g watercress, stalks removed
• 1 leek, well rinsed, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable or corn oil
• 1.5 litre vegetable stock (a good cube is fine)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Goats curd for garnish

Method

Cut the stalks from the watercress and put the leaves to one side. Gently cook the leek in the vegetable oil in a covered pan until soft, without allowing it to colour. Add the vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the watercress stalks and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add two-thirds of the watercress leaves and blend the soup in a liquidiser, or with a stick blender, until smooth.

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Chop the remaining watercress leaves and add to the soup. Bring back to the boil briefly if necessary. Top with a spoonful of goat's curd before serving.

Gennaro Contaldo, one half of the Two Greedy Italians with Antonio Carluccio and the chef who taught Jamie Oliver how to make Italian food, told us: "In Italy, especially when I was growing up, no part of the pig was wasted and it was common to use the prosciutto bone in soups and stews for extra flavour.

"When I can't get prosciutto bone, I simply use thick chunks of prosciutto, which you can ask for in Italian delis or you could use a piece of gammon. The prosciutto really enhances the finished dish and together with beans or pulses takes me back to family evening meals when I was a child.

"I also like to add a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO rind during cooking and at the end stir in grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO for an even richer flavour. This nutritious soup is a perfect winter warmer and served with some rustic bread is a satisfying meal."

Ingredients:

• 350g thick chunks of prosciutto (cured ham)
• Two onions, cut into chunks
• Two celery stalks, cut into chunks
• Two large carrots, cut into chunks
• Three tomatoes, cut into chunks
• Two bay leaves
• A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• A piece of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO rind
• Ten black peppercorns
• 400g cooked borlotti beans
• 60g grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
• Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
• Slices of rustic bread, toasted, to serve

Method

Put the prosciutto chunks, all the vegetables, bay leaves, peppercorns and about two litres of water into a large pot. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium, pop in the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO rind, partially cover with a lid and cook for one and a half hours.

Add the borlotti beans and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Divide between serving bowls and serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and some toasted rustic bread.

Turning to seafood, award-winning chef Robert Thompson MBE of the RT Cafe Grill on the Isle of Wight has shared a recipe for a crab and Armagnac bisque, telling Express.co.uk: "I absolutely love a rich and full-flavoured shellfish bisque. Ask your fishmonger for shellfish bones, lobster crab, prawn, langoustine etc."

Ingredients:

• One large crab
• 700g mirepoix of vegetables (onions, carrots, and celery), roughly diced
• 60g tomato puree
• 500ml double cream
• Two large oranges
• 100ml Armagnac
• One medium sourdough - sliced
• 50g plain flour
• 50g unsalted butter
• 350ml hot milk
• 100g Parmesan cheese, grated
• Four large egg yolks
• Brown crab meat

Method

Carefully add the crab to a large pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and then reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the crab and run cold water over it for 5-10 minutes

Crack the claws of the crab and carefully remove all the meat. Cut through the body and use a lobster pick or the end of a teaspoon to remove meat. Finish by scraping out the brown meat from the main shell. Pass the brown meat through a coarse sieve and pick through the white meat, removing any shell.

Roast the crab bones for 30 minutes at 200°C. Sweat the mirepoix of vegetables in a little oil until softened, then add the crab bones. Crush the bones as much as possible to release more flavour. Cover in cold water and bring to the boil before simmering gently for two hours on a low heat.

Strain the crab stock and add the cream, tomato puree and the juice and zest of both oranges. Bring back to the boil and reduce for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Armagnac.

Melt the butter over a low heat and add flour whilst stirring. Cook out for 2 minutes before removing from heat. Slowly add the hot milk whilst whisking, followed by the Parmesan and brown crab. Return to the heat and bring back to the boil for 1 minute. Allow to cool before adding the egg yolks & seasoning.

Grill the sourdough slices on each side, spread with the crab bechamel sauce and return to the grill until nicely coloured. Reheat the crab bisque and serve with the crab toasties.