PREGNANCY RECIPE: chicken noodle soup

Mondays hurt. They always have and I reckon they always will. On this particular one I woke up with a sore throat and a sleep deficit. On Saturday night, I went out and felt invincible, wearing heels and a new silk blouse, I rolled into bed at 2am. And then between putting up shelves and braising oxtail on Sunday, I missed my afternoon nap.

So today, I feel a bit frayed around the edges and the only dinner that will meet my needs is chicken noodle soup. It's a cliche but my god, it works. I trust in bone marrow to fend off coughs, colds and general winter jadedness. To boost the healing power of this soup, I bought a whole cooked chicken and made a super-speedy stock. I know it adds time to the cooking process but it also gives an extra immunity hit. This soup ticks my pregnancy boxes too - protein (yes), carbs (yes) and greens (yes). Leave out the chilli if it's too lively and go easy on the soy sauce - too much salt equals painful leg cramps in my experience.

Chicken noodle soup
A one-pot protein-fuelled, feel-good soup

Serves 2 adults
1 small roasted chicken or 2 chicken breasts
2 bundles Clear Spring Udon or Blue Dragon Ramen
1l chicken stock (made from 1 stock cube)
3in piece root ginger, chopped
200g green beans, trimmed
Pinch chilli flakes
Soy sauce, to taste

1. Strip the meat off the roast chicken. Clean the bones of fat and gristle and put in a large pan. Fill with cold water until the bones are just covered then bring up to the boil. Skim off any scum with a metal spoon and pour away. Leave to simmer for as long as you can, but at least 20 mins.Remove the bones with a slotted spoon then drain through a sieve.

2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then rinse thoroughly and put to the one side.

3. Add the hot chicken stock to the pan, then the ginger and green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the cooked chicken and chilli flakes. Heat through for 1-2 minutes then stir in the noodles and pour into bowls. Season with soy sauce to taste.