Soup!!

Today it was our English conversation class where a group of us volunteers teach English to people whose first language is something else. We always have a good time, but we work quite hard too. We usually start off with a quiz while people are arriving, ten associated items on a table and a mark for identifying them, a mark for a correct spelling! So today the quiz was about autumn vegetables which included swede, parsnip, marrow and squash. Then we normally have a grammar point and today it was prepositions. Then before coffee we have the answers to the quiz and the prize awarded (chocolate!); after coffee we divide into groups to work at different levels, and then back together again for bag time… where we take it in turns to bring in objects to ‘show and tell’; it was my turn today so i brought in everything to do with making soup, including chopping board, apron, ladle and pepper mill. The focus was on soup, because today’s coffee break was actually a soup break!Jacki made some delicious soup for us!

Carrot,orange and ginger, just the thing for a chilly day!

Sveta and Iwona tuck in!

Alex takes a few minutes away from making coffee to enjoy a sup of soup!

Jacki’s delicious orange, carrot and ginger soup

(serves 2, prep time 10 mins, cooking time 25 mins)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 350 ml (12 fl oz) vegetable stock
• 5 cm (2 inch) root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 350 ml (12 fl oz) water
• zest of ½ orange
• juice of 1 orange
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• chopped chives to garnish

1. simmer onion, carrot and stock in a large pan for 10 minutes
2. squeeze juice from the ginger into the pan and discard fibre
3. add water, orange juice and pan, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes
4. allow to cool then blend in a food processor or liquidiser until smooth
5. reheat and serve with garnish