Serves 4-6

Cooking time: 35-40min

Preparation time: 10-15min

60ml olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp sage

1.25kg pumpkin, peeled and deseeded

1 carrot, chopped

3 sticks celery, chopped

Red chilli, finely chopped, seeds and all

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp of ground allspice

A pinch of cinnamon

2 litres water

For the fresh mint oil

3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

A large handful of mint leaves

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the onions. Sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions have started softening. Add the garlic and sage, and cook for a while longer until the onions have started releasing their sugars and the garlic has started filling the kitchen with a lovely smell. At this point add the rest of the aromatic vegetables, the carrots and celery, with the pumpkin, chilli, cinnamon and allspice. Season generously with a few teaspoons of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and throw in a couple of bay leaves. Carry on sweating the vegetables until the pumpkin has started to soften. Pour over the water and bring to simmering point. Simmer the vegetables until they are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Blend with a stick blender to create minimal washing-up and serve drizzled with a little of the mint oil.

To make the mint oil, finely chop the mint leaves with the garlic. Warm the olive oil to a gentle heat and add the garlic and mint. Simmer very gently for about 10 minutes until the garlic has turned translucent. Try not to burn the garlic as it becomes very bitter rather than the sweet, cooked flavour you need. Set aside. This oil will keep in the fridge for at least a week and is delicious drizzled over soups.

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