Name: Beetroot soup
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1kg beetroots topped, tailed, scrubbed clean and cut into large pieces; 1 red onion cut into wedges; 3 cloves garlic; ½ a small bunch thyme plus a few leaves; 500ml vegetable stock; 100ml crème fraîche; ½ lemon juiced; 3 slices sourdough cut in half; 4 tbsp caramelised onion chutney; 150g blue cheese; a handful walnuts roughly chopped

Two bowls of beetroot soup, topped with sourdough toast and blue cheese

1kg beetroots
topped, tailed, scrubbed clean and cut into large pieces
1 red onion
cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic
½ a small bunch thyme
plus a few leaves
500ml vegetable stock
100ml crème fraîche
½ lemon
juiced

TOASTS

3 slices sourdough
cut in half
4 tbsp caramelised onion chutney
150g blue cheese
a handful walnuts
roughly chopped

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the beetroot, red onion and garlic into a roasting tin, pour in 150ml of water, season well and scatter over the thyme. Cover with a double layer of foil and put into the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the beetroots are very tender to the point of a knife.
step 2
Remove the foil, then peel the beetroots and discard the skin, then chop into small pieces. Put into a pan with the onion, garlic and vegetable stock, bring to the boil then use a hand blender to whizz until completely smooth, or ladle into a blender and whizz. Season, then stir in the crème fraîche and lemon juice, and whizz again. Keep warm.
step 3
Heat the grill to high. Put the bread pieces onto a baking tray and toast on either side. Spread each piece with the chutney and then add a piece of blue cheese, some thyme leaves and walnuts. Grill until melted.
step 4
Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the toasts.