We all need a good grandma’s soup occasionally, especially in winter. The kind of soup loaded with flavour that makes you feel good and warm from the inside.
That is precisely why Chef Farrel Hirsch of Greenhouse restaurant shares his Great Gran’s butternut squash soup recipe. “One of my favourite memories of my Great Grandma was when she would make this soup for us in winter. Tis was amazing!”

Ingredients
Soup
- 20ml vegetable oil
- 500g butternut diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 10ml grated fresh ginger
- 2ml chopped chilli
- 5ml salt
- 2 litres vegetable stock
- Coriander stalks (chopped)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Croutons
- 6 slices of white bread
- 50 ml clarified butter
Garnish
- Coriander leaves
- Diced tomato
- Pumpkin seeds

Method
Soup
- In a large pan gently sweat the butternut and onion in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes
- Add the salt, ginger, chilli, coriander and vegetable stock and slowly bring to the boil
- Simmer gently and cook until the butternut is soft
- Place in a liquidizer and blend to a smooth puree
- Season with salt and pepper
Croutons
- Remove crusts and cut into 1 cm cubes.
- Fry in butter until golden in colour

Assembly & Garnish
To garnish add freshly picked coriander leaves, pumpkin seeds, diced tomato and croutons.
Wine suggestion
Farrel recommends an unwooded wine with lots of finesse to complement this dish, something like a good Chenin Blanc. Chenin tends to have a tropical fruit nose and a clean palate with good acidity wish complements this soup well.