Pumpkin Soup with a Twist or Cinnamon Soup with Spicy Ginger Chicken

Cut the pumpkin in pieces and roast in a 210°C oven for 25–30 minutes, with butter (cut in cubes and scattered on top), some salt and pepper. You can either peel the pumpkin before roasting or scoop with a spoon before adding to the soup.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and sauté the roughly chopped onions for 5 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and sauté for further 5 minutes. Next, add the cinnamon, sugar and heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring all the time. Then add the stock and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally, add the roasted pumpkin and nicely blend everything (a hand blender here works just fine). Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the chicken: cut the chicken in small pieces, mix with the oil, chili and ginger. You can do this a few hours in advance and leave to marinate. Heat the oven to 210°C and bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes. You can actually roast the chicken and the pumpkin at the same time.

To serve, pour some soup in a bowl, place some spicy chicken on the top, and scatter some pine nuts and some chopped parsley or coriander on top.