Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

A spicy and comforting winter soup made with coconut milk and a hint of chilli. Roasting the squash beforehand brings out the sweetness of this delicious winter vegetable.

You will need -

800-1000g butternut squash

1 large or 2 small red onions

1 level tsp dried chilli flakes

400ml tin of coconut milk

750ml vegetable stock

25g butter

olive oil

dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Serves 4

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Don't be tempted to throw these away as they can be rinsed and roasted for extra crunch on top of your soup.

Peel and cut the squash into 2cm chunks. Place these on a baking tray, scatter over some thyme and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. While that's happening, finely chop the onion.

When the squash is cooked, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add a splash of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat until soft. Then sprinkle in the chilli flakes, allow to cook for a couple of minutes to bring out the flavour and then add the squash, coconut milk and stock. Bring everything to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before blending in the pan with a hand-held stick blender until the soup if velvety smooth. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and pour into warmed bowls. Serve with the roasted seeds, pumpkin soda bread or home made croûtons. Your choice!

How to roast the seeds -

Simply wash them and pat dry on kitchen paper. Pile them onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and sprinkle on some sea salt and olive oil. Give them about 10-15 minutes in the oven or until they are nicely browned, turning half way through cooking.

Alsatian Lentil Soup

This easy-to-make soup is from the Alsace region of France bordering Germany in the north east. It reflects a fusion of the two cuisines with smoked pork sausages added towards the end of cooking. This is from my mother's recipe book and, as it says, it is a main-meal soup.

Serves 6

1 medium carrot

1 large leek

1 celery stick

1 small onion

75g smoked streaky bacon

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

50g butter

200g red lentils

250g smoked pork sausages

1700ml water

1 tsp salt and ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley to serve

Chop the carrot, leek and celery into small pieces and slice the bacon into small pieces. I find it easiest to use a pair of scissors! Rinse the lentils, and peel the onion and stud it with the cloves. Alternatively you can chop the onion quite small and add it with the other vegetables.

Heat half the butter in a large saucepan and add the bacon and chopped vegetables. Give them a stir and cook gently until they are starting to soften. Then add the rinsed lentils, onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper and water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Place the sausages in a separate saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool before slicing into bite sized pieces.

If you've used a whole onion, remove it from the pan and roughly chop. Remove the bay leaf and return the onion to the pan with the sliced sausages. Season to taste, stir in the remaining butter and serve sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and lots of crusty bread.

Minty Pea Soup

This vibrant soup, from my mother's recipe book, uses a packet of frozen peas - something nearly all of us will have in the freezer - and very little else. I have adapted the printed recipe slightly to make it more of a winter soup and recommend adding crispy bacon, shredded ham or croûtons to add texture and substance. This soup has the advantage of being quick and easy to make with minimal ingredients. Perfect for that impromptu lunch.

Serves 4

500g frozen peas

1 small onion, finely chopped

25g unsalted butter

750ml vegetable or chicken stock

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

To serve -

Chopped chives and lemon are recommended but I just sprinkled in some freshly chopped mint, a few peas and a dollop of sour cream. Alternatively, you could use crème fraîche or swirl in some double cream.

This recipe says to use lamb stock which can be hard to get - vegetable or chicken stock will do. I've also substituted fresh mint and doubled the quantity of peas which thicken the soup and mean you don't need the cornflour.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Then tip in your bag of frozen peas, keeping a few in reserve for decoration. Give everything a good stir and then add the stock and chopped mint. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the peas are cooked through, and take the pan off the heat.

Allow to cool briefly and then blitz until smooth - I used a stick blender in the saucepan but you could also use a food processor.

Check for seasoning and add salt and black pepper if needed. I also added a couple of teaspoons of my mint jelly to give an extra 'hint of mint'.

Serve the soup in warmed bowls sprinkled with your choice of topping and a hunk of fresh bread.