Recipe for 'immunity boosting' soup will leave you feeling 'nourished' during cold season

No one enjoys falling ill, so at the first hint of a cold, you'll be keen to take steps to bolster your immune system and fend off any unpleasant bugs.

With the cautioning about a 'tripledemic' this year - , flu, and RSV - it's crucial to do everything possible to maintain good health.

A nutritionist revealed the soup she "always makes" when she's "ever feeling a little bit under the weather and run down". Emily English, who shares content on as @emthenutritionist, divulged her recipe for roasted red pepper and harissa immunity soup, which has piqued people's interest.

She described it as "packed full of goodness, really high in vitamin C, and helps to support your overall immune system". She served it with parmesan toast, creating "the most gorgeous soup dipper", and assured the soup will leave you "feeling nourished". But how is it prepared?

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To whip up the soup, you will need:

• 1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 red onion
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• Fresh basil
• 40g feta
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• Sourdough
• Parmesan

In her post, she mentioned that red peppers have more vitamin C than an orange, and expressed her fondness for harissa, stating "it gives the most gorgeous warming flavour and is available from most now".

Emily then demonstrated how to transform these ingredients into the stunning immunity soup she showcased in her TikTok video. Initially, "in a deep saucepan, sweat the red onion with 2 tsp olive oil, some chopped basil stems and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes until softened".

Follow the recipe to add "chopped garlic, 1 tbsp harissa, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers" into the mix, give it a good stir and fry off for an additional two minutes.

Next step: "Tip in enough chicken stock to cover the red peppers by 1cm. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add in feta and fresh basil and season with black pepper," according to the instructions.

Then puree the mixture until achieving a perfectly smooth texture.

For a mouth-watering side, whip up some parmesan toast by first "grate parmesan into a nonstick pan. Spread a little harissa paste over the bread and press down into the parmesan", then "cook for 4-5 minutes until golden and crisp, flip and roast the other side for a few more minutes".

Finally, dress the soup with an "extra crumble of feta", fresh basil, and a dash of chilli flakes "for heat" before serving alongside the deliciously golden parmesan toast.

Dr Chun Tang informed the about the symptom overlap between RSV, flu, and Covid, which includes fever, cough, runny nose, and tiredness, making them tough to tell apart. However, he mentioned that unique signs of Covid-19 are often a loss of taste or smell and more frequent breathing difficulties.

He warned that RSV can result in wheezing and typically impacts infants, contrasting it with the flu which "tends to hit quickly with sudden fever and body aches". He encouraged those uncertain about their symptoms to get tested to identify the specific virus.

Dr Tang highlighted the risk of contracting multiple viruses simultaneously, stating this can "increase the severity of illness and make it harder for the body to recover, especially for those with weakened immune systems or existing health conditions".

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