Beetroot and Ginger Love Soup

Have you ever looked at a vegetable and thought what on earth am I going to do with that? Let me tell you that beetroot used to be that vegetable for me.  I grew up in a house where my mother boiled and pickled her own and I just hated the farty smell that wafted through the house. I always loved it once the pickling process had happened, chopped over salads or just straight from the jar with a fork in hand. My mother would rave about it’s health benefits and told me the reason I had lovely skin was because of all the beetroot I ate.

When I started weaning Oscar my Dad gave me about 20 beets, fresh dug, covered in muck and so my obsession began. Beetroot is exceptionally nutritious and are rich in iron, calcium and vitamins so I was determined to give my baby a taste of them early on. I made everything from beetroot hummus to beetroot pesto to beetroot chocolate muffins and he loved every one. Be warned though, get yourself a good cover all bib as beetroot does stain although it washes off faces and hands really easily.

The colours in the soup just look amazing, in fact I’m thinking of making prints of these for my kitchen because I love it so much. Colour is healthy and eating a wide varied colourful diet keeps us all packed with goodness. For little babies every bite counts so that broccoli, thyme and ginger really just add a little more healthy punch to this soup. When cooking the trick is not to overcook so that you lock all the goodness in rather than boiling away. I took it off the heat after about 15 minutes when the beetroot was just al dente and the broccoli still had a little bite, then blended up until it was really creamy.

To serve I used a little yogurt, some extra thyme and bread from our local baker and cut into little hearts, brushed over a little olive oil and baked for about 8 minutes until they turn into crispy croutons. I’d love to say this was my own idea but I got it from my lovely Mother who did it for my Dad on Valentines Day when I was a child. I always remember thinking it was so super cute and romantic … those two love birds 🙂

Valentines Day may just be a Hallmark holiday but I still love what it symbolises. Expressing love for someone special, whether that be a child, a husband or a friend. I know that should be done all year round but on this one day I get great enjoyment from making heart filled soup and getting extra snuggles in return.

So happy Valentines Day to all you lovely Mothers, Fathers and Babies. I hope you get a billion extra kisses.

Lots’ of love,

Aileen & her Valentine Oscar xoxox

(p.s….wear a bib!)