If you’re planning to serve a small portion of soup while getting ready for Christmas, check the packaging, volume per unit and ingredients. Packs of 2 × 30 cl and sachets that make 20 cl of soup are not individual tins. For sweet baking, use the ingredients specified in your recipe rather than automatically replacing a purée with a savoury soup.
If you don’t want to open a 1 L carton for a single occasion, compare the volume of each unit. Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Auchan offer packs of 2 × 30 cl cartons. Auchan also stocks Royco sachets that make 20 cl of soup when prepared. None of these packs is an individual tin.
Pumpkin soup might seem similar to an ingredient in a recipe, but Carrefour and Auchan describe their products as ready-to-eat soups. Check the full ingredients list before considering a substitution: the name of the vegetable alone isn’t enough to tell you whether it’s suitable for baking.
Check the label of the product you choose before cooking for guests with allergies or dietary requirements. The DGCCRF says that allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list on pre-packed food sold in France. Once opened, follow the product’s own storage instructions too.
First, decide whether you’ll serve the soup alongside your bakes or use it as an ingredient in the recipe. Then compare the volume and packaging, followed by the label of the product you have in mind.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Use in the recipe | Compare the soup’s ingredients with those specified in the recipe; only consider a substitution if the recipe allows for it. | If I’m making something sweet, I want to avoid changing the mixture with a seasoned soup. Around 46% of consumers would put finding a product that suits the recipe at the top of their list of concerns. |
| Portion and packaging | Check the volume per unit, the number of units and the type of packaging: 2 × 30 cl in cartons doesn’t mean one individual tin. | When serving a small soup while getting ready, I’d rather open only as much as I need. Around 36% of consumers would prioritise avoiding leftovers. |
| Allergens and storage | Check the highlighted allergens and the storage instructions after opening on the product you buy. | When I’m cooking for other people or saving an opened portion, I need to know what’s in it and how to store the rest. Around 18% of consumers would make these checks their main priority. |
Two 30 cl cartons give you two portions, but they’re not a metal tin. An instant soup sachet is prepared in a different way again.
Before you buy, check the packaging material, the number of units and the volume of each one.
Carrefour and Liebig’s pumpkin soup product details list ingredients such as salt, cream or butter. So the word “pumpkin” alone isn’t enough to tell you whether the soup is suitable for a sweet bake.
Use the ingredient specified in your recipe. Save the soup for another occasion unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
Depending on the product, the ingredients or precautionary statements may mention milk, celery, wheat or egg, among other things. Storage instructions also vary from product to product.
Read the label on the product you’ve bought before serving the soup, then follow its storage instructions once opened.
Carrefour offers, among other products, a pumpkin velouté in two 30 cl cartons.
E.Leclerc’s range includes soups in packs of 2 × 30 cl cartons, as well as 1 L products.
Auchan offers, among other products, a vegetable velouté in two 30 cl cartons, described as serving two people.
Auchan stocks instant Royco soup sachets, each making a 20 cl portion when prepared.
No. Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Auchan offer these products in packs of two cartons, whereas an individual tin here means a single metal tin. Check the packaging and the volume of each unit before you buy.
Check the product name, ingredients, nutritional information, net quantity and date shown on the packaging. For pre-packed food sold in France, the DGCCRF says allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list.
Follow the instructions for the product you’ve bought. For Auchan’s vegetable velouté in 2 × 30 cl cartons, the product details say to keep any opened soup in the fridge in an airtight container and use it within two days. Don’t assume the same applies to other products.
Not necessarily. The DGCCRF distinguishes between a best-before date, which may pass if the packaging is intact, and a use-by date, which must not be exceeded. Check the exact wording on the label and the condition of the packaging. The taste and quality may change after a best-before date.