Wolverhampton mums taking Soupz 'n' More Caribbean cuisine to the top

Soupz 'n' More makes a range of hearty soups which are already being sold to wholesalers AF Blakemore and Son in Willenhall.

Sonia, aged 49, from Wednesfield and Zelpha, 52, from Penn, who started the business two years ago now hope to see their products on the shelves of the big supermarkets.

Currently the soups are made to order and the business partners, who have invested thousands of pounds in the venture, say they need a financial backer to take them on to the next stage.

"Our aim is to have our soups in the supermarkets, particularly upmarket ones, as we have been told they would sit well alongside Covent Garden soups but we need a sponsor.

"If we are going to supply the supermarkets we would either need to find premises and purchase equipment, or contract the business out and then there is the marketing of the product, all of which requires funding," said Sonia, at whose home the soups are made.

They met through working with dysfunctional young people and discovered they shared a passion for cooking.

The idea for the business came when they realised there were no chilled Caribbean soups available to buy anywhere in the UK.

Initially the pair tried out their soups on friends and family, at business breakfast clubs and sold them at The Church of God of Prophecy in Whitmore Reans where Zelpha worships.

They received positive feedback that the soups were tasty, filling and the packaging attractive. Some comments that the soups were a little too hot and spicy were taken on board and the recipe adjusted accordingly.

So far there are seven microwaveable varieties: beef, chicken, lamb, oxtail, fish, pea and vegetable.

The meat varieties retail at £1.90 and vegetable varieties are £1.70.

They have been developed from one of Sonia's family recipes and the spices used are being kept a secret.

Ingredients are either locally sourced or imported direct from the Caribbean including cho cho, eddo, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, yams and pumpkins.

The partners hold down their day jobs and then cook the soups in the evening.

They have received guidance from a professional chef at the University College of Birmingham after winning a competition run in conjunction with Heart of England Fine Foods.

They have also had incredible support from Sonia's son Lamar and husband Tony and Zelpha's three children Matthew, 27, Jessica, 24 and Jordan, 14.

Sonia says: "The whole journey has been an education and I have learned a lot as we have gone along. To be able to expand and get our soups in the supermarket would be a triumph."