I love a soup that has only a few simple ingredients. Carrot and fennel are a match made in heaven so this soup comes together very quickly but is so tasty. This soup is light enough to have all year around.

Ingredients
1kg carrots
2 bulbs of fennel
1 onion
Oil, for cooking
2 cloves garlic, bruised
1.5 litres Carol’s Stock Market vegetable stock
Salt & pepper

Serves
4

Method
Give the carrots a good scrubbing (you can peel them if you like, but it’s not necessary) and trim off the tops.

Cut the onion into 4 wedges.

Cut off the delicate herby fronds off the fennel (reserve those for garnish) then trim the bottom of each bulb and cut into large chunks.

Place the veggies into a large roasting tin and drizzle lightly and season lightly with salt and pepper. Give a good toss to coat the veggies with oil.

Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes then add the 2 bruised garlic cloves.

Give veggies another toss then return to the oven and roast for another 20-30 minutes. The veggies should be completely soft and starting to turn brown.

Fish out the garlic cloves and discard the skin. Transfer veggies and garlic to a large pot and pour in the vegetable stock with a light seasoning of salt.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Use a stick blender to purée the soup, alternatively, blend in batches in a heat-proof blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve hot with the fennel fronds for garnish and toasted sourdough for dunking. Also lovely served with toasted pumpkin seeds or a drizzle of cream.