Carrot and orange soup

Method

1. Peel the onion, then cut in half. Put the 2 halves, cut side down, on a chopping board and cut each into thin strips. Peel the carrots and cut the ends off. Cut each carrot in half widthways, then lengthways. Put them on the chopping board with the flat sides down, and cut into small pieces.
2. Put the butter and oil in a saucepan over a low heat, add the sliced onion and cook for 10 minutes. Check and stir the onion regularly. Using a cheese grater, grate the zest off the orange into a small bowl. Add the zest and the carrots to the pan with the onion. Put the lid on and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the stock or water and bring up to a simmer, then put the lid back on the pan and leave to simmer gently. After 45 minutes, test that the carrots are really soft by poking them with a knife or skewer. Turn off the heat. Carefully ladle the soup into a food processor – it will be very hot, so ask an adult to help with this. Whizz the soup until it is smooth. Cut the orange in half, squeeze the juice from one half and add to the soup.
4. Return the soup to the pan, heat it gently and taste it (careful, it’s hot!) You might like to add a pinch of black pepper or a little chopped fresh coriander, until it tastes just right.