'Cheap and cheerful' homemade winter soups to be doled out until sold out

Kicking off from the first day of May through to July, award-winning chef Richard Learmonth is gearing up to launch Loop de Loop on Wednesday - a temporary winter pop-up shop of takeaway soups in McNamara Lane.

A debut venture he's long dreamed of, Mr Learmonth said rising cost-of-living pressures teamed with the cooler weather gave him the final push he'd been looking for.

"It's something I've been thinking about doing for years, even back when I was in Wellington in New Zealand, so I finally got off my backside and here we are," he said.

"Soup is such a fantastic dish through the cold months, especially as a nutritional takeaway option, because you're still able to keep the price low without blowing the budget.

"It's cheap and cheerful, and now I've got the keys, I've got the lease; it's all happening."

Trading weekdays from 11.30am to 2pm or until sold out, Mr Learmonth will serve up two different soups each day from a couple of large kettles.

With servings making roughly 50 daily portions, the one-size bowls of soups are priced at $13 a pop, with those after bread rolls and additional toppings able to purchase as extras.

With his private dining and event catering still his core business since the pandemic, Mr Learmonth said the all-new Loop de Loop business is a special short-term side gig for the community.

"This is a chance for me to connect with a much wider audience in a setting where it's very casual, affordable and super simple for people," he said.

"I want [customers] to be able to get in and out quickly during their lunch breaks from work, where they're able to grab some hearty, generous food for the soul without breaking the bank balance.

"This pod set-up is also in a great part of town within Orange, so I'm hoping getting to the location is just as easy for people as grabbing their hot bowl of soup."

The well-known chef said he'll be updating his Instagram page @r_learmonth regularly as to what flavours will be on offer each day.

Without a set menu as such, Mr Learmonth plans to offer a "full spectrum" of soup varieties, steering clear from run-of-the-mill dishes.

"I'll try to stay away from anything too boring, but we're talking about anything when it comes to beautiful international stuff from every corner of the globe," he said.

"I'll also be pushing our local produce for delicious and regionally-based classics, like soups from recipes that have been passed down through family members for generations.

"We've got some incredible root vegetables coming through now as well, so between that and not often having the chance to open up like this to the public, I'm really exciting for these next few months."