It's day six of Yoghurt Week and we are coming to the end of this mini series. I do hope you have enjoyed it.

Today I decided to use up some of the carrots sitting patiently in my salad drawer to make a carrot soup. Carrot soup is always great, it never disappoints me. Today I added cumin for extra flavour and yoghurt to make it lovely and creamy.

I also baked some quick beer bread to serve with it. When I say quick, I mean the preparation and not the baking. It is one of those no-knead breads, that is just thrown together in one bowl. I baked the bread first and while it was in the oven, I made my soup. I prepared the meal in this order so we could enjoy the bread while it was still warm. Lovely.

I used a recipe for the bread that I have used a few times, although I usually make rolls with it. I have made Cheddar & Dill Rolls and Crusty Garlic Rolls and several variations on these from this basic recipe, but this time I baked the bread in a loaf tin and I was very pleased with the result.

Cheddar, Parmesan & Chilli Beer Bread

3 cups plain flour
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp chilli powder
1 cup grated mature cheddar (or vegan cheddar)
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan (vegan parmesan or nooch - nutritional yeast)
300ml beer/lager

Heat oven to 375f/190c/gas mark 5. Sift the flour into a large bowl and then add the sugar, salt, baking powder, chilli powder, parmesan and cheddar. Gradually pour in the beer and mix until just combined, do not over mix. The mixture will be quite thick and stretchy.

Pour the mixture into a lined loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes until golden. The outside should be crispy and a skewer should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving onto a wire rack.

Best served warm.


Carrot. Cumin & Yoghurt Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely diced
2 tsp ground cumin
8 large carrots, finely diced
5 cups / 2 ½ pints vegetable stock
1 handful fresh coriander, chopped
½ cup Greek Yoghurt (or vegan greek yoghurt)
salt & freshly ground pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin and the carrots and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, cover and simmer for half an hour. Whizz up the soup until it is smooth, then add the coriander and stir through the yoghurt. Season to taste.

Serves 4-6