Opinions Are Like Spoons – Everyone’s Got ‘Em

The Great Soup Divide: Stirring The Pot

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.)

Whether you’re debating the philosophical nature of cereal, or just need something warm to carry you through the cold, we have so many comforting choices for you.

Ready for the Unexpected? Behind The Scenes at The Soup Aisle

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.

The Great Ingredient Mystery: Why Every Great Recipe Has a Story

The Thrill of the Secret Ingredient

You’re out to dinner and the salad is so unexpectedly good you find yourself interrogating every bite. What is that in the dressing? Is it citrus, or something more mysterious? You consider flagging down the chef, but you know the answer will be evasive at best. There’s a universal thrill in chasing down the “secret ingredient.” It’s the culinary equivalent of a treasure hunt—equal parts curiosity, nostalgia, and the delight of discovery.

We’ve had plenty of these moments in our own kitchen. For example, the best traditional Italian dressing I ever tasted had sugar and mustard—two things I never would have guessed. My spaghetti sauce always gets a splash of balsamic vinegar and a quarter teaspoon of cocoa powder. The secret to my tomato soup? Extra carrot. Sure, there’s the usual garlic, onion, butter, basil, and the best tomatoes I can find, but it’s that subtle sweetness from the carrot that makes people pause and ask, “What did you do to this?”

These discoveries keep cooking endlessly fascinating. Sometimes they come from a happy accident, sometimes from a tip whispered by a friend, and sometimes from pure, stubborn experimentation. Every cook has their own stash of tricks—maybe a pinch of cinnamon in chili, or a splash of pickle juice in potato salad. These are the details that make a dish memorable, the kind of thing you remember long after the meal is over.

Recipes That Travel by Word of Mouth

The most unforgettable recipes rarely come from a book. They’re shared at potlucks, scribbled on the back of envelopes, or texted in a flurry before a dinner party. They’re tweaked, misremembered, and improved with every retelling. They spark debates at family gatherings and become legends in their own right.

Your Table, Your Story

That’s why we light up when someone brings us a family recipe, a legendary casserole, or a “you’ll never guess what’s in this” story. Like my mom’s Napa Valley Chilled Cucumber soup. She loved it so much she grabbed the recipe – and we can’t wait to share it with you all.

Planning a cookout for a crowd? Need a dish that’s pure comfort, or a showstopper for your next gathering? Bring us your favorite recipes, your secret ingredients, your kitchen victories and glorious flops. We love bringing these stories to life for you and your guests.

Food is more than a list of ingredients—it’s a conversation, a connection, and sometimes, a delicious little mystery. The best meals are the ones that bring us together and keep us guessing.

Share Your Secret Ingredient

So, what’s your secret? What have you discovered that makes your food unforgettable? Share it with us, and let’s see what happens when your story meets our kitchen. The next legendary dish could start with your recipe—and a little bit of mystery.

Tag a friend who’s always on the hunt for the secret ingredient or send us your own kitchen mystery!

Creating New Holiday Soup Traditions

We are preparing for our first holiday season as business owners. With ladles in hand, we are ready to bring comfort to our community. Erin even designed our first merch!

Soup Through the Ages

The holiday season has always been synonymous with tradition. Cherished recipes passed down through generations. But here we are, Erin and Patrick, without a traditional holiday soup to our names. Sometimes, we’ll make Tomato and grilled cheese, or we’ll make Butternut Squash Apple (which made it to the menu). Last year we made a red + green curry. We’re not bound by expectations, but we’re eager to create something memorable. And we’re halfway wondering which ‘new tradition’ will stick.

This got us thinking: What makes a holiday dish truly special? Is it the ingredients, the timing, or the memories it creates? We believe it’s a combination of all three, with a dash of innovation thrown in for good measure. Also, conjuring the image of what ingredients could consist of a holiday soup is somewhat humorous to me. There have been some epic holiday fails in my opinion. For example; fruitcakes, jello salads, and turducken. Those are a few foods that people decided to pass down through tradition. For reasons I can only assume are genuine.

Historically, holiday soups have played significant roles in cultures around the world. French Oyster Stew, in France, is a holiday staple. In Poland, barszcz (beet soup), or borscht, is a Christmas Eve staple. (Love it – Top 15 favorite soups.) And Shurabet el Eid is an Arab “Holiday Soup.” It has tiny meatballs and rice in a flavorful broth and the flavor is compared to Chicken Noodle Soup.

Crafting Our Own Soup Story

At The Soup Aisle, we’re not just making soup; we’re crafting experiences. We strive to create soups that capture the essence of Exeter’s winters – like fish chowder! Perhaps our holiday tradition will be keeping our customers guessing.

We’re also thinking beyond just what goes into the pot. The act of sharing soup can be as important as the soup itself. We’re exploring ideas like “Soup it Forward.” Where customers would be able to buy an extra bowl for someone in need for half the cost. One of the many reasons we’re passionate about our company is our organizing to help the community.

We Don’t Have Generations of Recipes Behind Us…

But we have passion, creativity, and a community that’s eager to try something new.

This holiday season, consider starting a new tradition. Maybe it’ll be a weekly soup night! Remember that traditions don’t have to be old to be meaningful.

We invite you to join us! Follow us on Instagram! Become a member! Let’s stir up some new holiday magic this year together!