Carrots and oranges, as well as pumpkin and ginger, are well-known and delicious combinations.

I combined them all in this very tasty soup that will keep you warm even on the chilliest days of the year.

The recipe (serves 4)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled (if needed), de-seeded and cubed
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1lt / 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly diced
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based soup pan over medium heat and cook the onion until starting to soften (about 5 minutes), before adding the garlic and ginger.
2. When the garlic and ginger become nice and fragrant (after about 2 minutes) add the chopped carrot and pumpkin and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Add the vegetable stock, orange juice, and apple chunks to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it bubble away for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
   
   
4. Blitz the soup with a stick blender until fully smooth and season to taste. Some smoked paprika or cayenne pepper can be added for additional depth/kick.
   
   
5. Serve with the coriander leaves. A drizzle of crème fraîche/greek yogurt and/or toasted pumpkin seeds would be great too.
   
   
6. However, we served this soup with a Préfou, a flat garlic/butter bread from the French Vendée region. We are so lucky to have our own outlet of Le Fournil de Sébastien, a fabulous authentic French bakery, in Amstelveen! Bon appétit!