Without a doubt, soups are a communal meal. It became very clear to me on my first night at Ballymaloe Cookery School.  It was the eve of the twelve weeks course and many of us had traveled far and wide to be at this oasis in the Irish countryside. It was a cold rainy January and diving into a bowl of Cream of Mushroom Soup while huddled up in one of the cottages on campus was a welcome treat.  I mentioned it in my very first blog Karen in County Cork. Just re-reading that post makes me crave that soup as well as the company I had sitting around enjoying every spoonful.  Continue reading →