Soup can be the ideal cure-all for a cold and dreary day. Winter rain, wind and hail is fully upon us and I for one, am already tired of it. Coffee can only do so much (trust me, I’ve tried. Four cups is my max.) But soup, whether it’s homemade or from your favorite to-go joint or sit down restaurant, can save the day.

My favorite local soup finds are just that, my own personal preference. Feel free to share yours as well. Just remember, we are in this delicious soup bowl together. One of the reasons we moved to Bellingham might be to be a wee bit closer to Sandwich Odyssey. They are our local self-proclaimed “Croatian Sensation” and could very well update their name to “Sandwich and Soup Odyssey.” Clam Chowder with secret Croatian spices? Yes please. Crab Chowder? Yes please! Cream of Turkey? Yes! Toasted Cauliflower Lentil? All of it. Plus, great daily specials (The Fat German or Muffaletta are favorites.)

The Mount Bakery is alive and well and offers table service at both locations – downtown and Fairhaven. One can’t live on pastry alone. (Unless you are my hubby who, back in the day, had the nickname of Pastry King.) The Mount Bakery offers two soups a day, one vegan and one omnivore. I’m obsessed with their carrot ginger concoction. It’s vegan yet creamy and satisfying. I also appreciate their hearty lentil soup. But I have been known to order their Hungarian Mushroom for breakfast, made with local fungi from Cascadia Mushrooms in Ferndale. Owner, Alex Winstead was recently featured on a KIRO radio program with garden guru Ciscoe Morris.

Mount Bakery incorporates local ingredients into nearly everything they make, thanks to their ongoing relationships with local farmers via our monthly Winter Bellingham Farmers Market. Both Mount Bakery locations are open seven days a week.

strEAT Food is our go to for take-out, especially on Wednesday when parked in front of Carne’s newish location, on Washington Street in the Fountain District. Our favorites? Where to start … corn chowder with potato and bacon … and their roasted poblano pepper with potato is silky and delicious. Or if you need something more substantial, splurge on their shrimp and grits. Not exactly soup, but soup-like if you take the time to savor.

The StrEAT Food Ferry Terminal Cafe in Fairhaven once offered, as a special, ramen with chicken and half a hard-boiled egg. Let’s just say it was a delicious and memorable day.

When I’m blue or a little under the weather, I need soup STAT. Our household’s immediate go-to’s are either the Wonton Soup from Soy House or Jalapeno’s Tortilla Soup, near Penny Lane Antique Mall. Nothing like fighting off a cold and winning – a true rarity in my case. I managed to pull off such a feat last week with the help of, you guessed it, soup.

For grab and go, Leaf and Ladle, a two-time survivor of vandalism on State Street, now has quarts of house made soup to go.

All of these family owned and operated local restaurants keep us in soup and additional offerings all winter long. We, the families and foodies of Bellingham, are grateful. Additional options for procuring delicious soup include stealing your sister in law’s recipe for kale, chicken and rice soup. Or asking nicely to borrow a friend’s veggie recipe for roasted butternut squash. Just be prepared to share a recipe in return. Or foot the bill for a night out on the Bellingham soup trail. So while it rains, snows and hails, soothe your soul with the soup of your choice. By the way, my mom makes a great split pea with ham … but no one gets that recipe but me.