Now, I know this soup might not be the prettiest, but I can guarantee it is much better to eat than it is to look at! It’s a deliciously hearty soup that is a complete meal in itself, and is perfect to stash away in the freezer for those cold, dreary winter nights when all you want to do is curl up with a bowl of soup and avoid the world outside. Luckily, this makes quite a lot of soup, so you should be able to eat some now, and pop some in the freezer for later!
One of the things that attracted me to my little apartment when I was house hunting was the balcony. It’s a pretty decent size, north facing and covered so it is protected from the elements. It’s a lovely place to sit and read the paper on the weekend, or have a glass of wine after work, but I also hoped it would have great potential for growing some herbs and vegetables.
On Sunday afternoon I had a few of my best girlfriends over to catch up and celebrate some birthdays, an engagement and my belated housewarming. We decided to do a high-tea of sorts, and as two of them are vegan we made the whole shebang vegan friendly. I supplied the savoury treats and some pimms and lemonade, and a few of them brought along some sweet treats to round off our vegan feast.
I’m pretty happy that it’s autumn and therefore pumpkin season here in Australia as it’s up there as one of my favourite vegetables. It’s not only delicious but it’s amazingly versatile. I use it in everything – salads, burgers, curries, soup and now a risotto! I go through phases with risotto, I either make it a lot or go months without cooking it at all but I think it’s safe to say I’m back in a risotto phase right now!
On the morning of my birthday I was treated to a delicious pancake breakfast made by B. I whipped up the batter the night before so we didn’t have to think too much in the morning, and served them up with chopped bananas, strawberries and a little of the salted caramel sauce leftover from my birthday cupcakes! Oh, and a sneaky glass of champagne too!
