Neighbourly pumpkin soup

Preheat oven to 190°C fanbake.

Place pumpkin chunks on a baking tray and toss with olive oil and seasoning until coated. Add whole garlic and roast for 30-40 minutes until pumpkin is soft when poked with a sharp knife. When cool enough to handle, remove pumpkin skin and roughly chop flesh.

Squeeze out the sticky garlic and discard the skins.

Set aside garlic and pumpkin flesh.

In a heatproof jug or bowl, stir the onion soup mix into 500ml of the hot water. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and sweat the onion over a medium-low heat until soft and translucent. Add cumin and stir for 1 minute to release the flavours. Add the garlic and pumpkin, stir to combine then add the soup mix and remaining 500ml of hot water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season to taste (if using sweet crown pumpkin, I usually need to add at least 1 heaped tsp of salt).

Purée with a stick blender or, if you prefer a more rustic texture, mash with a potato masher to keep soup hearty and chunky. Stir in the cream and simmer for around 3 minutes. Check seasoning again and adjust if needed. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, a sprinkle of parsley and dukkah, and freshly warmed crusty bread.