Great presentation velvety spiced pumpkin soup and it also makes an excellent lunch, served in bowls, with buttered bread.

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. In a roasting tin, toss the pumpkin, garlic, shallot, chilli, spices and coriander stalks in a drizzle of oil. Season, cover tightly with foil and roast for 30 min. Remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and starting to caramelise.

2. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the skin. Discard the skin and put the flesh in a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin into the processor with the rest of the veg from the tin. Add the stock and whizz until smooth. Add the coconut cream, then whizz again.

3. Pour into a large pan and simmer over a medium heat for 10 min.

4. For the garnish, heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves for garnishing, along with the chilli and shallot. Cook for 6-8 min until caramelised and starting to crisp.

5. Season the soup to taste, then pour into the pumpkin (or deep warmed bowls) and garnish with the shallot, chilli, garlic cloves and coriander leaves, if using. Drizzle with a little oil and serve.

TIPS:
You can meke the soup up to 3 days in advance, cover and chill. Reheat in a pan until piping hot. To keep the serving pumpkin fresh, rub the inside with oil and store in the fridge or somewhere cool, covered well with cling film.

Enjoy!