Me and Paulie had a day out planned at Howlets zoo and I always think the food in the canteens isn’t particulary nice. So what could be more comforting than a mug of soup! As we wandered around the lions, monkeys and elephants we had a pit stop at a picnic bench and warmed ourselves up out of the bitter wind with a nice colourful aromatic mug of soup. I love the combination of butternut squash and carrot, I always think they bring out the sweetness in each other. I alway’s like flavour so adding the cumin and spices take’s it to another level without sacraficing the flavour and sweetness of the vegetables. Cumin and carrot is a marriage made in heaven whether they are roasted or blitzed in a soup like this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 500g  carrots peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed
• 1 litre  vegetable stock

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan and gently fry the onion until soft but not coloured, then add the garlic.
2. Sprinkle in the ground cumin and ginger and stir to mix with the onions and garlic.
3. Add the carrots and butternut squash, pour in the stock and bring up to the boil.
4. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and tender.
5. Pour the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth, if its too thick then add a splash of water or stock.