Butternut Squash Soup with Garlic Bread

Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F.

Halve and peel your butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and cut it into cubes. Place the cubes on a baking tray and season with a few cracks of black pepper, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss the butternut squash to season on all sides and whack the tray in the oven for 50 minutes.

Finely dice your carrots and onion. Pour a large drizzle of olive oil into a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add your carrots and onion and sauté for 10 minutes, until the carrots have softened and the onions are translucent. Add the chopped ginger and give it all a stir.

Squash time! Add the roasted butternut squash to your pan and stir to combine (leave the oven on for your garlic bread). Pour in the vegetable stock and season with a few cracks of pepper. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Blitz the soup in the pan with a stick blender until silky smooth, or your desired consistency.

Now for the garlic bread. Slice your ciabatta in half down the middle and place on a baking tray. Finely chop a large handful of parsley, leaving a third for later. In a bowl, mix together 3 tbsp of olive oil, the chopped garlic, two thirds of the parsley, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Give it a mix and spread over the ciabatta. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of parsley, a crack of black pepper and your garlic bread. Dig in and enjoy!