Creamy dairy-free butternut soup recipe

Many people ask me how I get the texture of my soups and curries to taste so creamy and rich without using dairy. The key is to use coconut cream. I also roasted the butternut in this recipe, instead of boiling it, because the flavours are much more rich this way. Serve with a wheat-free roll for the perfect winter dinner or lunch - yum!

-1 large butternut (around 500g), peeled and cut into chunks
-6 whole baby onions, peeled
-4 whole cloves of garlic unpeeled
-A few sprigs fresh thyme
-cinnamon
-salt and freshly ground pepper
-extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup chicken stock
-1 tin coconut milk or cream
-about 10 leaves of fresh sage

Place butternut in a large roasting tray, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Scatter onions and garlic on top. Scatter thyme over and drizzle with olive oil. Season and roast for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until butternut is soft and only very slightly browned.
Squeeze the now-soft garlic out of the cloves into a food processor. Add the butternut and onions and slowly ladle in spoons of chicken stock. Pulse until smooth. A puree texture will form.
Pour coconut cream in and blend until smooth.
Place a large pot on the stove and gently heat the sage leaves in some olive oil. Swirl these around the pot until only just crispy. Pour the soup into the pot and bring to a nice simmer. Serve hot... and with a smile :-)