Soup-scriptions at The Soup Aisle have exploded in popularity over the past few weeks, turning one-time orders into weekly rituals for homes across Exeter, Kensington, Brentwood, Stratham, Newfields, and Amesbury. What started as a simple way to lock in gourmet meals at a discount has become our fastest-growing offer. Reliable comfort food delivered to your door is exactly what busy locals crave.
From First-Timers to Devoted Soup-scribers
The real thrill hit when our very first regulars made the leap to soup-scriptions. These weren’t just any customers; they were the ones who’d been ordering since our early delivery days. Most of the time people find us and either go right for the soup-scription, or stick to ordering on a week-by-week basis. Either is fine!
No two soup-scribers are alike. Some crave spice, others stick to classics. That’s the beauty! Our Soup-scriptions flex to fit real lives — without a “typical” customer in sight.
As a small microsoupery, flexibility is our edge. Soup-scribers get first dibs on limited batches, priority on sold-out sides, and easy pauses or tweaks.
Why Soup-scriptions Are Sticking Around
Soup-scribers tell us it’s about ditching the hassle: weekly drops that feel like a treat, not a chore.
If you’re interested, check out our soup-scriptions page. Join our growing crew of weekly Soup-scribers!
At The Soup Aisle, we’re not a massive operation with corporate infrastructure – we are literally two people trying to feed our community well.
Just a small business running on genuine care, determination, and honesty.
We’re Here to Help You
First and foremost, if you’re ever confused about how our soup system works, please reach out to us. Seriously. Whether you’re new to our subscription model, unsure about customizations, have questions about ingredients, or just want to chat about soup—we want to hear from you. Our system might not be complicated, but our offer is unique.
We are a meal startup company that uses local ingredients and focuses on community first, and we’re committed to making sure you feel confident and supported in how you’re getting your soup! We’ve built The Soup Aisle with real people in mind. That means we think about the person with dietary restrictions who needs to know exactly what’s in every batch.
We think about people on tight budgets who need affordable, nourishing food.
We think about the customer with mobility challenges who needs flexible delivery options.
We think about caretakers managing someone else’s dietary needs alongside their own.
We think about folks who don’t want to think about choices and just want something simple, healthy, and fresh. (And if it just so happens to be a gourmet soup then bonus!! 🤣)
If any of these describe you—or if something else describes your situation—we want to know, and we want to help. We have an ever-evolving menu and we take requests! 😋
Behind the Scenes
Real talk: running The Soup Aisle means experiencing the beautiful chaos of a small business trying to do right by people. Yesterday, I found myself with no cell service in Kensington while messages were flooding in from customers about an order system glitch I couldn’t even see, much less respond to. There I am: Driving with a cooler full of orders and no way to text. The anxiety of that situation—knowing people were waiting for answers and I literally couldn’t reach them—that’s the stuff that keeps us going. Because the moment I had service again, fixing it became the priority. That’s just what you do when you actually care about the people you’re serving.
Fixing these issues are on the top of our list.
Customers aren’t looking for perfection from a two-person operation. They’re looking for honesty, effort, and the assurance that we care enough to make it right.
We’ve gotten better at our systems, and we’re still working on it. We’ve tightened our processes, and still we try harder. We’ve learned what to look for before problems happen, but mostly, we’ve learned that our customers appreciate knowing the person packing their soup is the same person who drives an extra 45 miles to fix a mistake. That matters.
Good service isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about genuinely listening to the response. It’s about remembering that the person ordering soup might be ordering it because they’re managing a health condition, recovering from something, caring for someone else, or simply trying to eat better, or think about more important things then stirring a pot for an hour. (That’s our job!!!) Our job is to make your life easier.
We Don’t Do This Alone
We want to give a special shout-out to Erin’s dad, who helps us with deliveries. Having family support this business isn’t just out of convenience. (Patrick needed help.)
The person that delivers your soup from us will always understand the value of what we do.
Let’s Connect
If you’re part of The Soup Aisle community, thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your meals, for being patient with our growing pains, for reaching out when something isn’t right, and for understanding that behind every bowl of soup is a real person committed to your satisfaction. You matter to us more than you know.
The Soup Aisle isn’t just ladling out soup — we’re trying to serve our community ridiculously good food at an honest price.
The air crisps up and suddenly everyone’s got an opinion about soup. It’s that time again—soup season—and while most people can agree on one thing (it’s the best season), the great soup debates are officially bubbling over.
Ask someone you know, “is cereal a soup?“
Half the room tilts their heads, the other half pretends not to be personally offended. One person mutters something about “milk-based soup” 🤣 – another refuses to make eye contact and starts humming. Suddenly, your quiet dinner has turned into a philosophy seminar. Coworkers turn against each other. Welcome to the great soup divide—where ladles are drawn and wars are waged. (Well, not really but you never know!)
The Cereal Question That Started It All
Here’s where things get interesting — because structurally speaking cereal checks every box. Solid ingredients suspended in liquid, eaten from a bowl with a spoon. I thought that was soup 101.
So why does a cold bowl of milk and grains suddenly become controversial?
Rice and milk soups exist in Puerto Rico. Many cream of barley soups originated from Persia. Italian rice and milk soup dating back to the 1800’s. All grain plus milk, all genuinely recognized as soup across their respective culinary traditions. If those count, cereal’s structurally identical makeup becomes harder to dismiss on merit alone. (Plus, a lot of work went into making those delicious fortified grains!)
The counterargument usually comes down to this: cooking matters. Most soups require heat, and the kind of flavor-building that happens when ingredients meld together. Cereal skips that ceremony entirely—you just pour and eat. So maybe that’s the real divide?
Some people draw the line at intent. Others at temperature. A few stubborn folks still insist soup must be hot, warm at minimum, which—let’s be honest—is just gatekeeping. We accept gazpacho and vichyssoise as cold soups without question – and gazpacho doesn’t take any heat whatsoever to make.
Simmer Down or Soup Up
At The Soup Aisle, we believe people’s soup-pinions say a lot about them. Some of us are thick‑and‑hearty loyalists—the kind who believe a soup should stand on its own, no sides required. Others lean toward minimalist broths or puréed soups. Then there are the free spirits who treat every bowl like a chance to experiment, tossing in a dash of things until it feels just right. That’s not our style.
I guess that’s what makes soup beautiful: there’s no right way to love it. Soup is the great equalizer. Some people love it for making Pantry Raid Soup. Or call it what you will – wherever you’re from, people know those soups by unique names.
Fridge Forage Soup
Freezer Soup
Leftover Soup
Clean-Slate Soup
Kitchen Sink Soup 🤮
Surprise Soup 🤢
Scraps Soup 😬
A nice, warm bowl of soup softens sharp opinions and reminds us that good food is meant to be shared. (Preferably with someone who doesn’t judge you too much!)
Where Do You Land?
The cereal debate is just the tip of the bowl. The real question is about how we define the things we love – and whether those definitions even matter. Is a soup defined by what’s in it, or how it’s made? Or why you made it?
(Luckily, this is a soup blog and we’re not about to philosophize whether a hotdog is a sandwich.)
We’re thrilled to share that something fresh and exciting is coming soon to The Soup Aisle. While we’re still in the process of finalizing all the details, we want to give our valued community a sneak peek at what lies ahead.
One of the first changes you’ll notice is a shift in our weekly schedule. If you’ve enjoyed Soup Wednesday, get ready for a subtle but meaningful adjustment—Soup Monday is on its way. Moving to Monday will make it easier for many of you to plan your week, especially since it’s a quieter day for most, allowing you to start your week with something comforting and delicious.
And this change is just the beginning. This fall, we’re preparing a casual dinner and immersive cooking experience unlike anything we’ve offered before. Imagine joining a small group in a beautiful, professional kitchen nestled inside an iconic, renovated mill in Amesbury—a space full of character and charm that’s the perfect backdrop for learning and creativity.
During these sessions, we’ll dive into kitchen essentials with guided instruction, exploring seasonal recipes crafted by the owners of The Soup Aisle. Each participant will leave equipped not only with new skills but also generous takeaways like recipe cards and expert tips that make recreating the magic at home easy. Questions and curiosity will be warmly welcomed, creating an enriching environment built around food and connection.
We’re keeping many aspects of our Fall Series a delightful mystery for now, but we promise it will be an experience filled with warmth, flavor, and discovery. It’s designed to bring you closer to the heart of what makes The Soup Aisle special and to inspire your own culinary adventures.
Stay tuned for all the details soon! In the meantime, get ready to embrace a fresh rhythm to your week and a new way to explore the flavors and stories behind the soups you love.
Here’s to new experiences, cozy kitchens, and delicious moments ahead.
This week at The Soup Aisle, we’re offering one of our signature soups, Chicken & Stars – a beloved classic reimagined. The delicate star-shaped pasta swimming in rich golden broth is beloved by soup enthusiasts of all ages. What transforms a simple soup into a signature offering worthy of celebration? The answer lies in our meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to quality. Our Chicken & Stars begins with carefully selected ingredients – tender, premium chicken, hand-cut vegetables, and those delightful little pasta stars that bring a touch of whimsy to each spoonful.
The foundation of any exceptional chicken soup is its broth, and ours simmers slowly to develop remarkable depth of flavor. Our vegetables are diced for consistent cooking and visual appeal –carrots, celery, and sweet onions that add complexity and a delicate flavor balance.
The Star of the Show
The pasta stars themselves deserve special mention. These delightful morsels are added at exactly the right moment in the cooking process to achieve perfect al dente texture. What makes star-shaped pasta so beloved? Perhaps it’s the touch of joy they bring to the bowl, or how they recall childhood comforts while still satisfying sophisticated palates. Whatever the reason, there’s something profoundly comforting about star-shaped pasta swimming in a nutritious and satiating soup. For many people, this soup evokes cherished memories – perhaps of meals enjoyed during childhood winters.
A Soup for All Seasons
While many associate chicken soup with cold weather comfort, our Chicken & Stars soup transcends seasonal boundaries. Its bright, clean flavors make light enough to enjoy even as temperatures rise. We also make a vegetarian version using plant-based chick’n which we are excited to be offering sometime next month!
This week, we invite you to experience a signature offer that embodies our commitment to excellence in every bowl we serve – Chicken & Stars soup from The Soup Aisle.
The Soup Aisle 