Carrot and ginger soup with pumpkin and sage scones

The time to make soup has arrived!

To kick off the soup season, I chose a tasty carrot and ginger combo and decided to make some savoury scones to go with it for a cosy supper menu.

First, I chopped three fairly small onions and added them to the pre-heated slow cooker (set on 'high') with some ground cumin and coriander to almost sauté while I prepared the other ingredients. I also added a generous amount of minced ginger and some fresh garlic at this stage too, stirring every now and then.

Next, I peeled and chopped about seven carrots and a small piece of pumpkin and added them to the slow cooker with some fresh coriander from my herb pot. I also added about two cups of chicken stock and a little water from the freshly boiled kettle. I seasoned the soup with a little salt and then turned the slow cooker down to 'low' and forgot about it while I went about my business for the rest of the day.

Finally, when I was getting ready to serve supper, I blended the soup to a smooth consistency with a stick blender, adding a few dried chilli flakes at the last minute for a little extra zing.

To make the scones, I roasted about a cup's worth of pumpkin which I mashed with a fork in a mixing bowl. I added some ground ginger and nutmeg and about three sprigs of fresh sage collected from the herb pot again. I then added about a cup of self raising flour and some salt and enough pouring cream to create a sticky, but not wet, dough. On a lined and floured baking tray, I patted out the dough into a rectangular log, cutting it down the centre and then across to form six small scones. These went into a hot oven (about 220 degrees) for 15-18 minutes. The scones are done once you can tap the bottoms and hear a hollow sound.

The hot, flavoursome (and gorgeously orange!) soup was delicious alongside the buttered scones - a perfect autumn supper.