Carrot, Coriander & Lentil Soup

Christmas might be over, but winter is still here, and what better than to warm yourself up with a spicy carrot, lentil and coriander soup. With a touch of chilli flakes and cumin seeds, this thick and hearty soup, is bound to warm you up on the coldest of days.Serving six, we made a generous amount of soup. However, you can easily reduce to the quantities to make 2-4 portions. In addition, you can add your own spices to create your own recipe, as we did with ground cumin and coriander. However, the chilli flakes were a great touch, something we hadn't added to a carrot and coriander soup before. Whether you like spice or not, you can add as much or as little of chilli flakes as you like, but still get that warming feeling.Ingredients (serves 6):

• 1 kilo carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 brown onions, roughly chopped
• 4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 150g red lentils
• 1.25 litres vegetable stock
• 150 ml milk
• 1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• Natural yogurt to serve

Method:

1. Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min. Scoop half of the seeds out and keep to one side.
2. Add the rapeseed oil, bring to a medium heat and add the carrot and onion. Cook for 5 mins before adding the ground cumin and coriander. Stir thoroughly and add the stock, lentils and milk. Bring to the boil before turning the heat to low and simmering for 30 mins.
3. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender.
4. Stir through half of the fresh coriander before spooning into bowls. Season with a spoon of natural yogurt, the remaining coriander and a sprinkling of the reserved cumin seeds and chilli flakes.