I bought myself a Vitamix blender this week (early Christmas present). It’s a high speed blender that is able to process at much higher speeds and with much sharper blades then a regular blender. They’re expensive, but having researched extensively, the only high speed blenders on the market are this price. And I’m planning to use it a lot. I’ve already made soups, felafels and hummous, and I have plenty of plans for my new kitchen pride and joy. I’m going to have to be careful not to turn into a Vitamix bore…

I made a lovely carrot and coriander soup, by sweating some onions in oil with a tablespoon or so of ground coriander, then adding about 8 chopped carrots and a chopped potato. I covered the lot in hot vegetable stock and simmered until the carrots were cooked through. Then I ladled it into a blender and turned it up to high. It makes quite a racket but it produces the silkiest, smoothest soup I’ve ever had. Amazing.

For a bit of crunch, I topped it off with some roasted kale. Remove the stalks and add a tiny bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then bake at about 200C for 10 minutes or so, mixing it a bit if necessary. The kids love it, as it’s a bit like Chinese crispy seaweed.

Perfect for a cold winter’s day.