Carrot & cranberry soup

Ingredients 250g cranberries, 5 carrots, 1 pint vegetable stock, 1 can coconut cream, 1 white onion, 1 clove black garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, handful of coriander.

Serves: 5 Preparation: 1 hour

I love cranberries - whether the sweetness is brought out or whether the dry taste is enhanced I think they are a fabulous ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes. This is a hearty winter soup with a velvet texture and rich flavour.

1) Peel and finely dice the white onion and sautee in the olive oil in a stock pot.

2) In a seperate pan, put the cranberries on to cook in hot water for 5-10 minutes.

3) Peel and slice the carrots into chunks and add into the pan of onions along with the vegetable stock and the black garlic, peeled and finely sliced.

4) Once the cranberries have softened, strain the water and parse them through a sieve, leaving the skins behind and forming a smooth puree.

5) Once the carrots have softened, strain them from the stock (do not discard this, return it to the stock pot!) and mash or pulse in the blender before passing them through a sieve.

6) Combine the carrot and cranberry puree and add to the vegetable stock along with the cumin and finely chopped coriander. Turn the heat down to allow this mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes.

7) Season with salt and pepper and stir through the coconut cream before serving. This is perfect with my carrot and coriander bread, or with my vegetable crisps.