Pumpkin Soup With Crispy Croutons

With Halloween just around the corner, the shops have now stocked up on lovely pumpkins that, in my opinion, are just waiting to be turned into delicious, creamy soup.

As Autumn takes a hold, the evenings are gradually becoming darker and colder and pumpkin soup is a great alternative. It can be used for many occasions and is a perfect choice as a starter at a dinner party with warm, crusty bread, as a light bite at supper time or for serving to your guests at your Halloween party.

I came across many scrumptious recipes whilst searching for the ultimate pumpkin soup and finally settled on the recipe from the BBC goodfood website. This soup is velvety and smooth and tastes delicious with crispy croutons and toasted pumpkin seeds. It was so easy to make too and was thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family, happy days!

Ingredients ~ serves 6

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks

700ml vegetable stock

150ml double cream (I used low fat crème fraîche)

For The Croutons

2 tbsp olive oil

4 slices wholemeal seeded bread, crusts removed

handful of pumpkin seeds from a packet

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan then cook the onions until soft.

2. Add the chopped pumpkin to the pan and cook until it starts to soften.

3. Pour the stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the pumpkin is very soft.

4. Pour the cream (or crème fraîche) into the pan and bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender.

5. To make the croutons: cut the bread into small squares. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it becomes crispy. Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few minutes more, until they are toasted.

6. Serve the soup with a scattering of croutons and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

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