ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SWEET POTATO SOUP

I always love moving into a new season as it brings with it a whole new array of seasonal foods.  I especially love Autumnal vegetables so I was delighted to see butternut squash in the supermaket this morning. I decided to make some butternut squash soup, adding some sweet potato for more sweetness and carrot to boost the colour. This is a delicious soup and you can add or take away whatever you want. I sometimes add a couple of parsnips. Because of the natural sweetness of the vegetables, along with the drizzle of honey, they caramelize beautifully.

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (approx 300g), de-seeded, peeled and diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 litre stock (vegetable or chicken)
2 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp chopped sage
100 ml double cream
Olive or rapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 200c/400F/Gas mark 6. Place the butternut squash, the sweet potato and the carrot onto a baking tray and drizzle with the honey and olive/rapeseed oil.

Place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender and browning around the edges.

Heat a frying pan then add the onion and garlic and fry until soft. Add the chopped sage and 500ml of the stock and simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the roasted vegetables.

Place into a blender and liquidise, slowly adding the rest of the stock. Add some cream if you wish.

Once completely liquidised, return the soup to the saucepan, heat through and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a dollop of cream or crème fraîche and enjoy!  You could even keep back some of the roasted chunks of the squash to add to the top for some texture.

And there you have it, the perfect Autumnal soup…warm and comforting.