Curried Carrot Soup (Vegetarian)

from Chris Attkins of Arran on a Plate in Brodick, who says a big pot of this had sold out within an hour on a blustery day last week.

As the days get shorter and the temperature plummets, here’s a warming soup that you can rustle up in no time.

Peel and chop a bunch of carrots, a couple of parsnips and a small swede.
Chop an onion and fry in a large pan.
Add a generous desert spoon of curry powder to your pan and continue to cook for a minute or two.
Chuck the chopped vegetables in the pan and cover with vegetable stock.
Bring to the boil, then simmer until the vegetables have softened. Remove from heat.
If you have a blitzer or blender, purée the mixture, otherwise work it through a sieve (then you’ll add a blitzer to your wish list for Santa!).
Pour half a pint of cream into the soup and taste. Depending on your stock you may need to add salt and a little sugar will bring out the full flavour of the root vegetables.
Reheat to order and serve with freshly baked crusty bread and lashings of butter in front of a roaring fire.