Autumn is a double whammy, the weather closes in and soup becomes more appealing, and we get a glut of squash and pumpkin. This recipe is lovely, a little kick of chilli and ginger, and it’s vegan too (with a little adjustment). Yum!

For 6-8 servings, you will need:

• 1½ kg peeled and deseeded squash or pumpkin, cut into chunky cubes
• 1 large red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2 green chillis, finely diced. Deseed first if you want less chilli kick.
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon clear honey (omit for a vegan soup)
• 5cm piece fresh root ginger peeled and finely diced
• 1½ litres vegetable stock, using 2 cubes

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put the squash/pumpkin and the carrot on a roasting tray, drizzle over 3 tablespoons oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Toss the veg to coat well and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.

Once the veg is roasted, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onions, peppers, chilli and ginger until soft. Add the honey if using and stir continuously for a minute or two.

Add the squash/pumpkin and carrots, stir well, then add the stock. Stir well, add a little extra salt and pepper to season and bring to the boil, then turn it right down so it’s barely simmering with a lid on. Leave like that for 20 minutes.

Using a hand blender, whisk until the soup is smooth. The odd small chunk of veg is fine. Serve immediately or you can divide up the soup, it will keep for a couple of days in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.