Butternut Squash soup

Butternut squash IMGP5352, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

1 Butternut squash
1i/2 oz Butter
12 oz potato
2 pints vegetable stock
Cream if you like (not essential)

Heat the oven to 160 Degrees C

Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and dot with about 1oz of the butter.

Roast it in the oven for about an hour.

Meanwhile .....

Melt the rest of the butter in a large pan and add the peeled, cut up potatoes and 2 pints of stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Cool the butternut squash for a bit then scoop it out of the skin and add it to the potatoes. Wizz it up in a blender or using a hand blender and then pour it into a clean saucepan. If you want to add cream, add about 3 1/2 fl oz now, stir it in then heat the soup back up.

Add salt and pepper.

I love winter soups!

Garden in the snow

Garden snow IMGP5332, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

Certainly makes the garden look impressive.

More snow in Watford

Garden IMGP5290, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

Once again, the snow reaches Watford and although we are sick to the back teeth with all the BBC coverage and people moaning about it - it has slowed things down, stopped people tearing around the country as if a meeting to discuss nothing in particular was life threatening and stopped my phone ringing at work. New walking boots, plenty of scarves and ski gloves and a sort of holiday atmosphere has actually made me enjoy the whole thing.

Time to tidy up after Christmas

01 01 2010 IMGP5244, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

The wreath is still on the door but it is time to start making the house look as if Christmas is over and a new year is about to begin.