Cream of Carrot Soup

I'm not usually one for exaggerating, but I have to say that this is hands down the greatest soup I have ever made, and I used to make soup professionally as a chef! I was going for a Potage Crécy (French Carrot Soup) but found the recipe a bit weird (they use rice) so decided to make it up as I went along. I meant to put garlic in but forgot and I have to say that it turned out to be a fantastic mistake. This soup is creamy, rich with an incredible depth of flavour and despite it tasting so good, comes in at an amazing 237 calories per portion!

Ingredients

500g Carrots, peeled and diced

500g Potatoes, peeled and diced

50g butter

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

2 medium spanish onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 litres chicken stock

2 tablespoons tomato purée

200ml single cream (+ a little extra to garnish)

Salt and Black Pepper

Handful of finely chopped parsley for garnish

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 Minutes

Serves: 6 - 8 people (depends on how big a bowl you like)

Calories: 237 Calories per portion (based on 8 portions)

Instructions

1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat and add the oil and half of the butter

2. When the butter melts add the chopped onions and fry, stirring every couple of minutes until starting to brown (somewhere between 5 - 10 minutes)

3. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pan and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly

4. Add the stock and tomato purée, then give it a good stir and simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on

5. Blend the soup, ideally with a stick blender but if you don't have one do it in a regular blender in batches

6. Add the cream to the pot and simmer for a further 10 minutes on a low heat

7. Just before serving add the remaining butter, stir through and add salt and pepper to taste

8. Serve in bowls, garnish with a little swirl of cream, a pinch of the chopped parlsey and a little bit of freshly ground black pepper

9. Enjoy!