TURNER VALLEY: Get your soup on

I never complained about road trips when I was a kid. I loved staring out the window and watching new landscapes go by, making up trivia games to play with my sister in the back seat, and of course, reaching our destination and being allowed to order whatever we wanted to eat.

So I was quite excited that lunch at the Route 40 Soup Company was part of the girls’ day trip into southern Alberta that we took recently.

The restaurant’s owners believe that a “culinary experience is like a highway excursion,” and the comparison physically includes Highway 40, which runs through Kananaskis Country and leads to organic ranchers and farmers that provide much of the local ingredients.

Route 40 built its reputation on amazing homemade soups and opened in 2003. They quickly outgrew their original location in Black Diamond, and have now moved to a heritage building in neighbouring Turner Valley.

We sat on their wonderful patio on one of those last-gasp summer days and watched as chef/owner Mark came out to snip herbs from the garden and chat with the regulars who brought their dogs and bikes.

We started with an order of road chips, a big plate of seasoned, thick-cut Yukon gold, sweet and purple potatoes, served with a two-sided dip. (One was a pesto but not sure what the other one was.) Not only did the chips look great, it was a delicious start to our rest stop.

While Route 40’s fame is built on their gluten, dairy and preservative-free soups, they make some mean wraps as well. Your best bet for lunch is to order a half sandwich/soup combo to get the full effect.

Having said that, I succumbed to the day’s pasta special of fusilli with strips of bison loin in an ancho chile, black bean and corn sauce.

It was refreshing with the sweet corn and ancho chile and certainly didn’t leave me feeling weighed down. As it was, I could barely finish half of my plate. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but that’s a HALF order. They sure don’t skimp on portions here.

The other girls all got soup/wraps and graciously allowed me some tastes. Gwendolyn’s roasted butternut squash soup with peanut and Piri-Piri apple was packed with flavour, as was her pork loin wrap with a kick of pickled, shredded cabbage and carrots.

Kelly’s roasted cauliflower soup with ancho chile was just that. Tasting exactly like what’s in it and not like a tin can or preservatives. (She also had a lamb wrap but I can’t remember it; I was too busy drinking white wine to take notes.)

Route 40 sells jars ($13) of its concentrated soup at the restaurant and at the Millarville Farmers’ Market. I brought home the smoked tomato and basil soup for a nice treat. Just add two cups of water or milk and reheat. One jar was enough for lunch twice-over for two of us.

The service here is relaxed and extremely friendly. We got to chat U.S. politics with our server who’s from Alaska but moved to Alberta for love. I love meeting people like that!

Route 40’s menu changes with the seasons, but I found an old lunch and dinner menu to give you a better idea of what they offer.

Route 40 Soup Company, 146 Main St., Turner Valley, Alberta, (403) 933-7676. Closed Sundays, check for summer/winter hours.