A Comforting + Seasonal Soup

As we approach the end of Winter for another year, I've been thinking back to all the things that have kept me going the past few months. For starters, I don't think I could have got through those first, miserably barren days of January without my trusty Orange Grove candle flickering away in the background- instant comfort in a jar, believe me! What's more, I know the pre-festive stress of early December would certainly have been a drag had I not had a few generous ladles of my favourite hot chocolate to keep me going.

But if there's one treat that's always guaranteed to soothe my Winter blues, it's hands-down got to be soup. I've had so much soup this past season; whether it's unnaturally fluorescent orange and straight out of a tin (you know the one I'm talking about-yum!) or silky smooth and lovingly prepared on the stove, soup will forever be my ultimate comfort food. Which is why today, I thought I'd share a recipe for a delightfully seasonal soup that should provide you with the formula for instant comfort all the way in to Spring...

I've chosen something slightly adapted from this recipe that I found on Waitrose.com; it's smooth, fresh and full of flavour- perfect for gently easing yourself into the warmer months to come.

Roasted Broccoli, Almond + Mint Soup

Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Vegetarian, this simple soup makes for both a healthy and flavoursome Spring treat. 

To make enough for six bowls, you will need:

- 1kg broccoli, this sounds like a lot but you can always halve the recipe if you need to. I used broccoli stems to halve the chopping time too!

- 100g blanched almonds, 75g of which are soaked overnight

- 1 tbsp oil

- 500ml fresh vegetable stock

- 1 lemon, zest, and juice of half

- a large handful of mint leaves

1. Preheat your oven to 200c/390f. Cut the broccoli florets into medium-sized chunks and the core into 1cm pieces. Spread over a prepared baking tray and drizzle with the oil and the 25g of unsoaked almonds. Toss everything together and season well (I put a fair bit of salt and pepper on everything here and it really helped bring out the taste). Roast in your preheated oven for around 15-18 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the stock plus 750ml water to the boil.

2. Drain the soaked almonds and put them in a blender with both the lemon juice and zest, as well as the mint. Pick out the roasted almonds and put them to one side, then take the charred broccoli and add to the blender. Pour over the hot stock and blend everything together for around 2-3 minutes, until smooth; you might need to do this in batches. 

3. Season and loosen with a little extra water. You're looking for the soup to have the consistency of double cream. Pour into bowls, garnish with the roasted almonds and a swirl of crème fraîche, and serve!

A seasonal, fresh green soup to warm your cockles on these chilly in-between days! 

I think it would be perfect for bunging in a flask and taking on a Springtime picnic. Shoutout to my brothers here btw- they got me this mammoth 1.5 litre Blacks flask for all my adventures and, even though it holds enough liquid to serve the 5000, it's crazy practical and does not disappoint!

What's your go-to comfort food? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below.

In the meantime,
All the love,

Siân x