Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan assisted / gas mark 6 / 400°F.

Prepare the squash by cutting into quarters with a sharp chef’s knife. Scrape out the seeds using a spoon then cut off the tough skin with the chef’s knife. Dice the squash flesh into 1 inch pieces. You need about 1.2kg prepared squash.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large roasting tray and then tip the pumpkin in, coating with the oil ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and roast for about 30-35 minutes until the squash is cooked all the way through and just starting to caramelise at the edges.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large stock pot on a gentle heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and leek with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are just turning transparent.

Add the garlic, all the spices, and chilli if using, and stir to coat, cooking for a further 2-3 minutes.

Tip the roasted squash in, followed by the stock and bring up to the gentle boil. Then turn the heat down to simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and blend it together until smooth. I used a stand blender for an ultra smooth result and completed the task in two batches.

Once the soup is smooth then pour back into the cleaned cooking pot. Check the consistency, if you feel it is too thick then whisk in some just-boiled water (up to about 200g maybe).

Taste for seasoning, then bring the soup back up to a gentle simmer if you want to serve it piping hot.

Serve in bowls with a swirl of crème fraiche and some snipped parsley or chives.