I made loads of home made soup, from lentil and bacon, mushroom and one that has become known as "random vegetable" 
I have looked at soup makers and really can't see much benefit to my current "chuck it in and blitz it with a hand blender if you want to" approach.
Plus all the ones I looked at seemed (to me at least) pretty expensive!
I saute the veg a bit, bung in the stock, leave it on a low heat until done, blitz or not then freeze in batches.
Weimar, Life on the edge of catastophe
Is wealth inequality causing the big issues of our day?
Being Scared Of Youths In Supermarkets?
Why do hospitals, most of whom have large catchment areas, make accessing them so difficult?
) chopping, sauteing, throwing in a bit of this, a bit of that and the simmering....a delicious smell on a cold morning. I often throw in a left-over piece of dried ham or ham bone. if it's a cabbage/ bean based soup, and I've just discovered another great tip..... if you're making a tomato based soup like minestrone and you've got a stale old bit of parmesan lurking in the dark recess of the fridge, chuck that in. It will melt down and give a really intense flavour, and mean a little bit less in the bin