Thickening up your soup to the perfect creamy consistency can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Avoid these mistakes ...

A bowl of vegetable soup and a few slices of bread on gray background with a denim napkin - Claudia Totir/Getty Images ...

A finishing squeeze of lemon or lime, dribble of vinegar, dollop of sour cream or yogurt, or scatter of pickled onions or ...

You could put the soup through a blender before you put the ham back in, but personally I don't think it's necessary. If it's a little thick for your liking, add a bit of extra stock or water.