WINTER WARMERS

This season’s recipes are hearty warming dishes, all great on a cold day and are all suitable for vegetarians.

Roasted Beetroot Soup with Horseradish Crème Fraiche

Preparing beetroot can be a little messy so you can skip the first stage and simply buy in precooked beetroot. The resulting soup is colourful and packed full of tasty vegetables.

1 kilo raw beetroot

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 sticks of celery, cleaned and sliced

½ bulb of fennel, trimmed and finely sliced

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2 large cloves of garlic

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of thyme

400g can chopped tomatoes

500ml vegetable stock

150ml quality olive oil

½ teaspoon ground sweet smoked paprika

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

250ml crème fraiche

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

1tsp fresh dill, chopped

1. Wash the beetroot and chop of the stalks. Place the beetroot in an oven proof dish, toss in a little extra oil and roast in a hot oven 400F/200C/ Gas mark 6 for thirty to forty minutes until soft. Remove and allow to thoroughly cool. Rinse the beetroot in cold water, peel and dice.

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and gently cook the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fennel until very soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.

3. Add the beetroot, potatoes, chopped tomatoes, stock, thyme, bay leaf and paprika. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for twenty to twenty-five minutes until the potatoes are soft. Season generously.

4. Whip the crème fraiche and horseradish together to make the garnish. Serve in bowls with a spoon of horseradish crème fraiche and freshly chopped dill.