Roasted Candy Beet and Carrot Soup

Delicious and wholesome, I can often be found googling for "things to do with beetroot" and this delicious soup from Gill Murray is one of my favourite results. 

This wonderful root vegetable is more than hardy enough for the cold, winter ground frost, and is at its seasonal best between July and January here in Scotland.

Most of us, I'm sure, will recall growing up with jars of pickled beetroot on the table.  In my Grandad and Nana's house it was as essential as a fat, brown pickled onion when eating breaded haddock and homemade chips, and always went into a roll with cheese and tomato. 

Glorious foodie memories indeed, but it was the huge revelation at about age 9 that beetroot could also be enjoyed non-pickled, and still slightly warm from its time in the boiling pan, that will remain with me forever as one of my life's most wonderful food highlights.  That combination of a deep, earthy flavour with a sweet aftertaste was unlike anything I'd ever had before and remains one of my favourite things to eat to this day.

Not only that, but beetroot is packed with nutrition; they are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre, manganese and potassium. if you're buying them whole then make sure to keep the green, leafy tops which are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A and C and which can be cooked up and enjoyed in the same way as spinach  

This beetroot soup is a perfect recipe for raw beetroot, and should be served with a hunk of crusty bread for maximum enjoyment levels!