Winter is here, fire places are going, the air crisp with southerly winds.  Jumpers have been pulled out of the cupboards and extra blankets added to our beds. A steaming bowl of soup is a great comfort on a cold night, with warmed crusty bread ready to be dunked.  The soup is easy and cheap to make.

Carrot & Chickpea Soup Recipe

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed, roughly chopped
• 1 thin slice of ginger
• a pinch of chili powder
• 1/4 tsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 inch peel of orange skin
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper

1.  Place the oil into a medium sized pot, on medium.  Add the onions, stirring continuously till softened.  Add the garlic, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, ginger and chili powder.  Give a good stir, allowing the mixture to become fragrant.

2. Add the carrots and orange peel, cover all ingredients with water.  Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add the chickpeas and remove from the heat.  Blend with a stick blender in the pot or use a food processor till combined. Season with salt and pepper

4. Garnish with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and olive oil to serve and eat with crusty bread.