Method

1. Peel the vegetables for the base, dice into 2cm cubes,place in a large roasting tin,
2. lightly drizzle with olive oil, cumin and paprika . Mix thoroughly and place in the centre of a preheated oven at 190 degrees. Roast for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the onion, top and tail the celery sticks into small pieces (they take a long time to soften). Saute in a medium sized saucepan on a gentle heat with 25g of unsalted good quality butter and fresh black pepper until soft (the onion will be clear in colour), Make sure to test the texture of the celery to ensure it is soft.
4. Heat the stock or broth until it is at a simmer. Turn off the heat.
5. When the onion mix and the soup base are cooked, combine in the saucepan, add the stock and blend with a stick wand or a blender until you reach the consistency of your choice. Check for seasoning and amend if required.
6. For the croutons, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, line a baking sheet with either baking parchment or a silicone liner.
7. Using the smaller of the cutters cut out the crouton, place onto the baking sheet, when the oven is at temperature spritz the croutons with good quality olive oil and bake in the oven for between 5-10 minutes, turning halfway when they reach the desired temperature.
8. For the pumpkin seeds, simply scatter onto a lined baking sheet , drizzle with good quality olive oil and coat thoroughly.and again roasted for 10 minutes turning regularly. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and pat dry with kitchen paper to stop them being greasy.
9. When ready, to reheat the soup - gently chop finely some coriander, when the soup is warm to your liking, swirl on some double cream in a spiral, top with a small amount of chopped coriander and serve with the croutons and roasted pumpkin seeds.