I was browsing through the refrigerated and frozen food section at Fowles Gourmet Market in Newburyport when I spotted frozen soups from Kettle Cuisine. I knew I had a couple of busy days this week, one in which I needed to eat a quick and early dinner, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to give Kettle Cuisine a try.

Kettle Cuisine is based in Chelsea, MA, and they specialize in making and selling all-natural soups to restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and specialty food shops. Many of their soups, including the Grilled Chicken and Corn Chowder that I purchased, are gluten free. All of Kettle Cuisine’s soups utilize natural ingredients and are free of preservatives, artificial colors and flavorings.

My frozen chowder took longer than expected to cook in the microwave, but was still ready in under five minutes. I garnished the chowder with leftover green onion and served it with focaccia bread. The soup was a little thin for a chowder but still very hearty, with a generous amount of meat and vegetables. In addition to the obvious corn and chicken, there were potatoes, red and green bell peppers, and onions. The ingredient list on the box also includes bacon and celery, but I couldn’t detect either in the soup.

The soup was good, though it tasted mostly of corn and white onions. At $4.49 for one serving, it’s a little pricey for a frozen entrée. The soup is better than you might expect for a frozen meal, but not as good as fresh. However, it is a good alternative to canned soup if you don’t mind spending considerably more. Since many area cafés serve up fresh soup for less than $5 a bowl, this is a hard sell for me, but it is good to have around if you’re under the weather and need some speedy soup therapy!