Butternut and chorizo soup

Spring seems to be almost here! When I first started making this soup I wanted something that would bring a little bit of sunshine into my day. Now it's spring I'm still making it and it has quickly become my go to home-cooked comfort food. This will warm your soul and make you look forward to summer as it's just around the corner

• 1/2 a ring of chorizo - about 80g
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 med onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic finely sliced.
• 1 small butternut squash
• 2 big plum tomatoes or about 1/2 a can of plum tomatoes
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp saffron strands (6-8)
• 3-4 cups of chicken stock

1. Chop your chorizo and onion into bite sized pieces.

2. Add the olive oil and Chorizo to your soup pot over a medium heat. This will let the oil be flavoured by the chorizo and it should turn a nice deep red colour. Take the chorizo out before it browns.

3. Add your onion, celery and thyme to your pot and leave to fry for 5 mins.

4. Meanwhile peel and chop you butternut into bite sized chunks. Do the same to the tomatoes if using fresh tomatoes

5. Add your garlic to your soup pot and stir for 1 min. Get your chicken stock ready and add the saffron strands to the stock so it can infuse

6. Add your butternut, tomatoes, pearl barley, paprika and ground coriander to the pot and fry off for 3 mins.

7. Add your saffron infused chicken stock and leave over a medium to low heat for about 20 mins.

To jazz the soup up at the end, although I love it just like it, is you can add some rocket leaves or fresh coriander. That's is what I'm having for dinner tonight and it made me feel like I have a ray of sunshine in my flat on this cold winter night.

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