When I was a child, my parents used to doa big food shop once a month. It took place on a saturday morning, we would get upearly and get into town to be at the supermarket (which was located in the local shopping centre) ready for when the doors opened. It would normally be nearly 2 full trolleys worth of food, drink, everything for the month. To me as a young lad, it seemed a bit of a mixed bag. The getting up and into town early was a chore, the actual shopping, pushing the trolley (which in those days were even worse to steer than they are now, especially when the trolley was full) and going off to get bits I was asked to find, was quite good fun. Packing things in the bags at the checkout was ok too. However, when we got home, it was horrible, it would be mid morning, we'd all be hungry yet as soon as we got home, there were hundreds of bags to be unpacked, (well ok not hundred but it felt like it) and all the items to be put away. This seemed to take forever.

Once it was done it we normally sat down and had some lunch. Some of my fondest memories of these times are when it was cold outside and once all the shopping was away, mum would warm a fresh french stick under the grill, we'd have cheese and pickles and spreads on the table and each of us would have a big bowl of Campbells soup. my favourite was always the mushroom one. Remembering it now, all hot and thick and delicious is makingmy mouth water. I use to love spreading my bread thick with butter, putting some cheese on it and dunking it in the soup, which covered it in a hot thick yummy coating. The whole lot just melted in my mouth.

A few months ago I was suffering from a really horrible cold and hadn't eaten anything much for a few days. My girlfriend was looking after me, fetching me drinks etc whenever I needed anything. After about the fifth day, I was feeling really hungry and for some reason I knew exactly what it wanted. Campbells Condensed Muchroom soup. I asked my girlfriend if she could get me some, which she said she would.

When she got back from the supermarket she opened a can, poured it into the saucepan, topped up slowly with water while stirring and gently heating, until it was a lovely consistancy, not too thick, not too runny. I sat up in bed and began sipping it. Having not had it for about 10 years, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted exactly as I remembered it, and it even still had the same little pieces of mushroom in it. It was like I had gone back in time! I have ha it a few times since and everytime it reminds me of exactly why it was favourite soup when I was young, well, apart from my mums home made minnestrone...,

When you open the can, it is full of a very thick gloopy concentrate, which once poured into a pan, stays ina sort of lump, only very slowly spreading over the bottom of the pan. I recommend you get every last bit out that you can because it would be a travesty to miss any! They recommend using one can full of water slowly stirred into this concentrate while gently heating. Personally I would advise that you use about 3/4 of a can full of water as it makes the soup a little bit thicker and even more yummy. The instructions say not to let it boil as this could impare the flavour. I have never done this as I can very careful when heating it, and continue to stir it throughout. I would say it is wise to keep stirring as it can quite quickly get very hot and starting bubbling, and you wouldn't want to impare the flavour in any way.

Once in the bowl the soup looks thick creamy and velvety, in the soup are small pieces of mushroom which unlike some soups where the bits all float to the top, you tend to find throughout the soup, which is lovely. I remember as a child, making sure I left all the mushroom pieces till the end then eating them all in one go, twas yummy!

Actually getting onto the tasting, well, what more can I say than, wow. It's got such a lovely flavour, rich creamy and nicely mushroomy, I could eat this all day long and not get bored or fed up with the flavour!

Being male I don't really care about the nutritional information about the soup, but as with anything really, if eaten in moderation then it's not going to kill you. I would heartily recommend this soup to anyone. Infact having written this I might well have to buy some this evening along with a french stick and some bread...

There are other various flavours, which are also very nice indeed, such as chicken, but by none can match the mushroom!!!