Isn’t life amazing? I had spent days trying to contact Sophie Grigson so that we could discuss the superb new soup book which she edited, but unfortunately the contact number I had was not responding. I therefore listed this as a problem to be sorted once my Australian friend Diana had finished her Oxford trip.

Diana had asked me if we could visit one of my favourite dog-friendly pubs so that we could walk Pythius-Peacocke my beloved Border collie, then relax over a well-cooked lunch.

I chose The Fishes, in North Hinksey, as it serves terrific home-made soups and stands next to a glorious selection of water meadows that the dog adores.

This was Diana’s first experience of the English countryside and – would you believe it? – she had never climbed a stile before, so the walk was full of exciting new experiences, including patches of crunchy ice and loads of mud.

We returned to The Fishes exhausted, chilled to the bone, but happy. We were in need of steaming hot comfort food – and fast. That’s why we ordered roasted parsnip soup, which hit the spot perfectly. As parsnips are not a common vegetable in Australia this was another new experience Diana took to with enthusiasm.

It was only when we’d finished our soup that someone put her hand on my shoulder and said: “Helen, how good to see you, how are you?” Yes, it was Sophie who was there with her little dog Ben. As she had a copy of The Soup Book in her car (no author worth their salt travels without at least one copy of their most recent book), I was able to take her picture, complete with Ben and the book and discuss the recipes it features.

This is why Sophie is seen in this picture without the colourful earrings for which she is famed. No dog walker worries about make-up or earrings when walking water meadows. Well Sophie certainly doesn’t – which is a mark of the outgoing person she is.

Diana, my Australian friend, accepted the unexpected meeting as one of those wacky moments that seem to happen in a place like Oxford.

One of the great things about The Soup Book, is that it begins by listing the seasons in which British-grown vegetables are harvested. The cover boasts that the soups featured are “wholesome, seasonal, frugal, simple, fresh, home-grown and organic”. The contributing chefs include Raymond Blanc, Thane Prince, Monty Don, and Shaun Hill.

In her introduction, Sophie states that soup can be whatever you want it to be and that there are no eating occasions when a well-judged slurp of soup would not be welcome. She goes on to say that anyone can make a good soup, providing that they start with good fresh ingredients.

“Soup should never be just a dustbin job for the wrinkled remnants at the back of the vegetable rack and items left in the fridge just a little too long,” says Sophie. She sees home-made soups as a way of really celebrating the seasons, which is why her book begins with a guide as to what’s in season and when.

Naturally, the book gives a step-by-step guide to making a good stock, for although Sophie accepts that we can speed things up by adding a stock cube, nothing beats the home-made stuff.

Did you know, for example, that you can use the microwave to make chicken stock? Or that globules of fat that lie on the surface of freshly made stock can be removed by skimming the top of the stock with a piece of kitchen paper folded in two?

The Soup Book also includes a chapter on rescuing soups that have gone wrong.

What do you do when the soup is too salty because you haven’t allowed for the salt in the stock cube when adding seasoning? Sophie’s advice is to add a couple of raw potatoes to the pot and allow them to simmer gently. Once they are cooked, they can be removed and discarded, as they will have absorbed much of the salt. Alternatively, a little sugar added to the mix can mask the salty flavour.

When a soup is too thin, it can be thickened by whisking in a pat of butter and flour or a mixture of eggs and cream.

One of my favourite soups in this book is a chunky allotment soup by Thane Prince (see recipe on the left) who promotes cooking with local ingredients. Raymond Blanc’s vegetable and chervil soup is very tasty, too, providing you heed his advice and don’t overcook the vegetables.

As I drove Diana back to her hotel she was already planning to visit Blackwells and buy a copy of The Soup Book and not just because it would make a splendid souvenir. Having experienced the joys of a steaming bowl of hot soup after a long walk on a frosty day, she is now convinced that soup should not be ignored.