It is better to add too little than too much, but the consistency of the soup should be like ordinary pea soup; it does not do to have the soup watery.  If only the outside parts of carrots are used, and this red part is thrown, at starting, into boiling water to preserve its colour, this soup, when made thick, has a very bright and handsome appearance, and is suitable for occasions when a little extra hospitality is exercised.  The inside part of the carrot, if not used for making the soup, need not be wasted, but can be used for making stock, or served in a dish of mixed vegetables on some other occasion.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP.—­Take three or four small cauliflowers, or two large ones, soak them in salt and water, and boil them in some water till they are nearly tender.  Take them out and break the cauliflower so that you get two or three dozen little pieces out of the heart of the cauliflower, somewhat resembling miniature bouquets.  Put the rest of the cauliflower back into the water in which it was boiled, with the exception of the green part of the leaves, with an onion and some of the white part of a head of celery.  Let all boil till the water has nearly boiled away.  Now rub all this through a wire sieve, onions, celery, cauliflower, and all; add to it sufficient boiling milk to make the whole of the consistency of pea soup.  Add a little butter, pepper, and salt; throw in those little pieces of cauliflower that had been reserved a minute or two before serving the soup.  It is an improvement to boil two or three bay-leaves with the milk, and also a very great improvement indeed to add a little boiling cream.  Fried or toasted bread should be served with the soup.

CELERY SOUP.—­Take half a dozen heads of celery, or a smaller quantity if the heads of celery are very large; throw away all the green part and cut up the celery into small pieces, with one onion sliced, and place them in a frying-pan, or, better still, in an enamelled stew-pan, and stew them in a little butter, taking great care that the celery does not turn colour.  Now add sufficient water or stock, and let it all boil till the celery becomes quite tender.  Let it boil till it becomes a pulp, and then rub the whole through a wire sieve.  Next boil separately from one to two quarts of milk according to the quantity of celery pulp, and boil a couple of bay-leaves in the milk.  As soon as the milk boils add it to the celery pulp, flavour the soup with pepper and salt; serve fried or toasted bread with the soup.  It is needless to say that all these white soups are greatly improved both in appearance and flavour by the addition of a little cream.