A vibrant soup full of added benefits to help you through those gloomy winter days. With a rainbow of vegetables, added lentils and turmeric, the “superspice”, a bowlful will give you protein, fibre and vitamins; support your gut microbiome; soothe inflammation, and give your immune system the boost it needs to battle the winter germs.

Ingredients for the soup

Serves 5
4 large carrots
2 large parsnips
2 red bell peppers
250g red split lentils
1/2 large red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tin of coconut milk
Water or stock to your liking for thickness
2 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil of choice
Chopped chives or parslery to garnish (optional)

Method

Heat the oven at 180C fan.

Clean your carrots, pepper and parsnips, chop them into bite sized chunks.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the chopped veg evenly across it.

Bake for 30 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, heat up the oil in a large pan, add the diced onion and fry for 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the minced garlic and spices and fry for 1-2 minutes on a medium heat, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.

Add in your roasted veggies, red lentils, stock of choice or water, coconut milk and cook for 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked and you have reached the desired consistency for your soup.

Blend until smooth for a thick soup or leave it chunky if you prefer. Scatter herbs for a garnish if using.

Remember you can add more stock or water for a thinner soup, but we find with little children it’s best to serve it as a thick purée for maximum spoon adherence!

Serve with warm bread or our Wholemeal Savoury Scones.

Ingredients for wholemeal savoury scones

Makes about 10 scones
140g self-raising flour
50g wholemeal flour
1 tsp of garlic, minced
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp thyme or sage
1 tsp of baking powder
45g butter or vegan margarine
120ml milk or vegan milk

Heat the oven at 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

Tip the dry ingredients into a large bowl, then mix.

Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs.

Make a well in the dry mix, then add the milk and combine it quickly with a spatula but do not overwork - it will seem pretty wet at first.

Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out.

Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then gently fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother.

Pat into a round about 3 cm deep.

Take 5cm cutter, dip it into some flour and plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have 10 scones.

Place the scones on a tray lined with parchment/baking paper, brush the top with water or your milk of choice.

Bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden on top.

Note: Added salt is an acquired taste and not recommended for very young children, so you’ll notice there’s no salt in these recipes. Adults who are used to salt may want to add some to their portion.