Soup

Soup is one of my favourite feel good foods. When the weathers all rainy and cold out I love nothing better than sitting down with a steaming hot bowl and some chunky rustic bread! After recently finding out I am lactose intolerant I have really struggled to find foods that don't contain cows milk, its hidden in everything, and soup is no exception, all my favourites are inedible for me. So, my mum lent me her copy of the Covent Garden Food Co.'s A Soup for Every Day book, and so far I have made 2 soups completely from scratch, and I am very impressed! A couple of weeks ago I made a creamy chicken, and this week it was Butternut Squash and Goats cheese!

This book is amazing, it contains a different soup for every day of the year, some sweet, most savoury and all special days are covered! Boxing day Christmas left overs soup anyone? YUM! The best thing I love is that so far they have been so easy, and if I can get them right, anyone can! Best of all is that the recipes make between 4 - 6 portions, so if there's just two of you, or even one, I bought these soup bags from Lakeland and you just pop your soup in there and freeze it, or fridge it, and they don't spill! Grand!

Ingredients to serve 4:
2 tbsp olive oil
150g onion, diced
1tsp garlic puree
1tsp dried sage
800g butternut squash, peeled and cubed
600ml vegetable stock
100g soft, mild goats cheese, crumbled (I used Feta)

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, then cook for 10 minutes until soft
2. Add the garlic puree, sage, and butternut squash, then gently cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender
4. Stir in the goats cheese until melted
5. Blend until smooth, reheat gently, then season to taste and serve.

Beautiful with big crusty bread and butter! Nice and warming.. :)