I've never been a big soup fan. Soup is never something I seek out when I dine at a restaurant and I've never really had one that I felt like raving to friends about. But that was before I started learning how to cook ... now, soup – fresh, made from scratch soup – is one of my favourite things to make and indulge in.

Today was a snowy, cold Saskatchewan day so I made a roasted turkey and rice soup that included Canadian heirloom garlic*, white onion, carrots, celery, freshly squeezed lemon, grated ginger, bay leaf and a special summer savoury seasoning from Nova Scotia that was gifted by a colleague. It was healthy, hearty and absolutely delicious! The flavouring could not be more perfect and left my tummy feeling so good. This dish will definitely go into regular rotation for me this winter.

The base was another easy-to-follow recipe by twopeasandapod that I modified to my tastes.

*I am totally becoming a garlic connoisseur. The robust flavour of this particular variety is amazing.

I squeezed one last bit of fresh lemon into the soup before serving with garlic bread.

Preparing the ingredients. In total, this soup took two hours to make from start-to-finish.