Mary Berry’s Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is no ordinary butternut squash soup. It has added red pepper and ginger, and needs no cream to improve its velvety texture. Roasting the squash, rather than boiling it in a pan, really brings out the flavour too. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg butternut squash
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 red pepper
• 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 5cm fresh root ginger
• 1.5 litre (2 1/2 pint) vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃
2. Tip the prepared squash into a large, resealable freezer bag with the onion, carrots and red pepper. Add half the oil and salt and pepper and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated. Tip into a large roasting tin and spread out to form a single layer.
3. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until tender or tinged brown. Drizzle over the honey 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
4. Place the large, deep-sided saucepan over a medium heat, add the remaining oil and, when it is hot, add the ginger and fry for a minute. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then stir in the roasted vegetables and add salt and pepper.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and, using a hand blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Return to the heat to warm through and serve hot with crusty bread.