THERE’S nothing simpler and more comforting than a steaming bowl of homemade soup served on a blustery autumnal evening.

We make a variety of soups in the restaurant each week but a firm favourite amongst customers (and myself) is most definitely carrot and coriander, which is popular all year round. If you only ever have one soup recipe in your culinary repertoire, then you can’t go wrong with this classic and much loved soup.

Carrots are wonderfully versatile vegetables, not to mention tasty and cheap. Better still, the majority of carrots you’ll find in British supermarkets are also home-grown in UK soil.

The humble carrot has been a firm fixture in British diets since the Elizabethan times and is still the UK’s favourite vegetable – 75 per cent of Britons eat them regularly and as a nation we crunch through more than 10 billion of them each year.

And we can’t forget that carrots also pack a great nutritional punch, providing an excellent source of vitamin A as well as vitamins K, C and B6, B1 and B2, calcium and potassium.

This dish is really quick and easy to make and is ideal for midweek lunches or a warming supper. If you want to omit the cream from the recipe then go ahead but I find it adds a lovely richness to the soup and makes it a bit more special.

If you’re making a batch of this in advance, add the cream when you reheat it. Serve with some crusty fresh bread and butter.

CARROT AND CORIANDER SOUP

(serves 6)

1kg carrots, washed, peeled and chopped.

1 large white onion, sliced

2 sticks of celery, chopped

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp. plain flour

3 litres vegetable or chicken stock.

15g butter

50ml double cream

Add the butter to a deep pan and sweat the onions over a medium heat with the carrots and celery. Cook for five minutes until the onions are softened but not coloured.

Add the cumin and dried coriander followed by the flour. Once the flour is mixed in add the stock and turn up the heat and bring to the boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook for approx, 35-40 minutes until the carrots are soft and tender.

Add a little more stock half way through if the pan looks like it needs more liquid. Season well with salt and pepper.

Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh coriander. Blend until smooth using a liquidiser or hand blender. If you want a really smooth consistency, pass the soup through a sieve.

Return the soup to the stove and over a low heat pour in the cream. Stir and allow to heat through for a minute or two.

Divide between bowls and serve with a few shavings of carrot and some more fresh corriander.