Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

The kids and I were looking for something fun to so this morning and I wasn't in the mood for sweet.

We (when I say we, I mean I) looked in the fridge and came to the conclusion that something vegetable based would be a good idea. I pored through my Jamie at Home book and used his Superb squash soup recipe with my own additions:

Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 sticks of Celery, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped
2kg (roughly) of Pumpkin (I used Kent but Butternut would be preferable)
2 Ltrs of Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
Slurp of Honey
1 Cup of Soup Mix

Now, if you're anything like me & decide what to cook on a spur of the moment thing, you'll end up doing the quick method of preparing the soup mix. Rinse, bung it in a saucepan, top with water and simmer for an hour and a bit, skimming the gooby bits off the top, adding water if needed.

In a warm pan, add oil, then onion, celery, carrott, garlic, any herbs you desire and salt and pepper. Cook gently for around 10 minutes or until they are softened.

Add pumpkin and chicken stock - simmer for around 45 minutes or until the pumpkin starts to break down. Give it a whizz with your stick blender, or however you puree, or if you want to be really rustic, leave it in bits and pieces.

Add honey to taste if it needs a slight sweetner (I used approximately a dessert spoon). I assume using Butternut would exclude the need for this step. Drain and rinse your soup mix then add to soup. Delish. Guaranteed to even have grumpy children slurping away.

Now, I didn't take a photo as I assume we all know what Pumpkin Soup looks like, yeah? That and I was too lazy. I have both the little ones with a virus, Poppy with tonsilitis and Cameron with a chest infection so it's happy campers at this end! I think this soup is not only tasty but a nice immune boost too.