With wind howling around corners in Gauteng, icy snow covering parts of the Free State and KZN. Not to mention the drizzling rains in the Cape, winter seems to have arrived in full force.

Thoughts turn to warming food, red wine and fireplaces. This winter Spekko Rice has added a collection of satisfying winter soups to the recipe files on the web and mobi-site.

With the launch of Spekko's New Americano Rice, superior rice from Uruguay, some new recipes were commissioned.

Americano is grown on dry land - as opposed to rice grown in water in the East. This variant is Low GI, just like Spekko's Parboiled Long Grain, Brown and Basmati Aromatic Indian rices.

This means it will keep your hunger pangs away between meals. As well as leaving your family happy and content. Americano also cooks within 15 minutes, making the preparation of a wholesome, satisfying soup after work, a quick and easy job.

Spanish is spoken in the Southern Americas and this inspired Spekko's Spanish Style Chorizo and Chickpea Soup developed by Yudhika Sujanani. This recipe is available on our mobi-site.

Chef Jodi-Ann Pearton, a winner of The Sunday Times Chef of the Year title, contributed a warming Rich Beef and Rice Soup to Spekko's recipe files. Other soup recipes available here and on the mobi-site include Bona food writer Ntwenhle Mpanza's Thai Style Beef and Rice Soup. Ntwenhle is also Spekko's chef in Soweto TV's Kazi Kitchen, to be seen at 7 pm on Fridays on Soweto TV, broadcasted on DSTV.

One of the most typical of Thai soups is Tom Yum. This fiery, gingery soup is believed, by the Thai people, to stave off colds & flu, and aids in alleviating digestive problems. Chef Thira Khamwong from the Salathai Restaurant in Cape Town developed a Spekko Rice Tom Yum soup. His favourite "rice for soup" is Spekko's Jasmine Fragrant Rice - enjoyed in Thailand at every possible occasion. What's great for you is that the quality of Spekko's Jasmine Fragrant Rice is unmatched. This rice won the title "Best Rice in the World" at the International Rice Growers' World Conference in The Philippines in 2009.

So, keep buying Spekko Rice - "The Rice for all occasions"!