KiteNest Nosh - Pumkin Soup

There’s nothing quite like a proper pumpkin soup on a cold autumnal evening. Serve with warm crusty bread for the ultimate heart-warming dinner. 

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 medium pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 50g veggie/vegan hard cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 100ml oat milk
• 1 litre veggie stock
• Sprinkle of seeds
• Generous seasoning of salt and pepper 
• Warm crusty bread (to serve with)

Method

Step 1: Soften the onions in a big pan. Finely chop or grate the garlic and to the pan.

Step 2: Sprinkle in the chilli flakes, mix and shimmer for two minutes.

Step 3: Chop the potatoes. Chop the pumpkin (ensuring you don't include the skin and seeds). 

Step 4: Make up your vegetable stock. Pour in the pan. 

Step 5: Add the milk and lemon juice. Remove from heat.

Step 6: Whiz in a food blender until smooth.

Step 7: Stir in the cheese. Serve. Finally, top with some seeds and warm, crusty bread. 

A shocking 8 million pumpkins were sent to landfill last year -  the equivalent of enough pumpkin pie to feed the entire nation! Each pumpkin has taken up water, soil and habitat to be grown. Some, we're even grown with chemicals and pesticides. So making this recipe is a fantastically scrumptious way in reducing food waste. 

Pumpkins are known for a whole wealth of health benefits; they help weight loss, bone and eye health, blood pressure and they're loaded with antioxidant properties. Tuck in and reap the benefits!