Original recipe of the week: Butternut squash and chilli soup

Liven up your taste buds with our deliciously rich and creamy soup. Packed full of goodness and with one hell of a kick, this soup is sure to awaken your senses. What better than curling up on the sofa after a long cold day with a bowl of steaming delicious soup? Indulge!

Butternut squash and chilli soup

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

What you will need:

1 large butternut squash

1 large white onion – chopped roughly

3 cloves of garlic – chopped roughly

2 large potatoes

1/2 small red chilli – finely chopped

1/2 pint of vegetable stock

2 tbsp crème fraiche

1 tsp of fresh thyme – finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

What you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 200^oC on the fan option. Cut the butternut squash in half and drizzle with some oil. Season and place in a large ovenproof dish to roast with the onion, garlic and thyme. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
2. While this is roasting you can peel and cut the potatoes into chunks and put on to boil.
3. After 45 minutes remove the foil from the squash and continue to roast for a further 15 minutes or until golden and soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
4. When the potatoes have boiled and are also soft, remove from the heat and drain.
5. Now you can scoop out the flesh of the squash and place in a food processor with the potatoes, garlic and onion from the dish.
6. Blend roughly and place into a saucepan.
7. Add the stock to the blended mix along with the red chilli and a little more thyme.
8. Bring all this to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
9. After 10 minutes you’re ready to remove from the heat and serve – but not before you stir in the crème fraiche to add a creamy note and season to taste.

Bethany Stone