Student suppers #1: Spiced squash & apple soup

As a student, I know how easy it is to buy your soup from your closest Every Little Helps store. It takes no time at all, costs very little money and most importantly – there is next to no washing up.

For the same amount of time and washing up, you can create a soup that is marginally more expensive, but is unbelievably delicious. Not only that, but it freezes very well, so one large batch can sort your lunches for a week and cost as little as 60p per portion.

Luckily, I had a jar of chilli jam kicking around, but in this recipe, you can substitute the jam for one extra apple and a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes. Serve with a little crème fraiche to offset the heat.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 cox apples, peeled and diced

1 litre vegetable stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp chilli jam

1 tbsp garam masala

Method: Add the oil to a large, heavy based pan on a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the squash, onion, apple and garam masala.

Stir so that everything has an even covering of oil and spice and cook for 4 minutes, or until the apple, onion and squash has gently coloured. Add the vegetable stock, fennel seeds and chilli jam and stir until incorporated well.

Bring the pan to the boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the squash is soft.

Take the pan off the heat and blend well with a stick blender, ensuring there are no large chunks of squash or apple. Season to taste. Serve while hot or freeze for up to 3 months.