Carrot, Ginger and Orange Soup

Carrots and oranges are full of wonderful antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients – even better if they are fresh from your own garden.  Ginger is well known for its digestion-friendly properties.  The combination makes this soup a perfect pick-me-up for cold, wet winter days.

Approx 500g carrots, peeled and sliced

1 litre chicken stock

1 piece fresh root ginger, peeled

40g butter

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

2 tsp ground ginger

Zest and juice of an orange

Salt and pepper to taste

Place carrots, stock and ginger in a pan.  Bring to boil and simmer 15 minutes.  Discard the ginger (or if you like the zing of fresh ginger leave it in). Remove and reserve a few carrot slices for garnish.

While carrots are cooking, melt butter in a pan, add onions and saute gently for 3-5 mins. Stir in ground ginger and cook for a further minute.  Stir in the orange zest and juice.  Add to the carrots and stock.  Cover, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Puree the soup (I use a stick blender), season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve piping hot and garnish with sour cream or yoghurt, parsley and carrot shapes.  Even better if you have some freshly baked bread and home-made cultured butter to go with it.