A winter orca-chasing coastal walk and a warming bowl of soup.
There seems to have been an increase in the number of orca sightings around our beautiful islands over the last year, for some reason. So much so that a Facebook group (Shetland Orca Sightings) has been set up by Shetland Wildlife specifically for people to share photographs and sighting location alerts.
On Saturday a pod of orcas was spotted along the coastline of one of my favourite cycle routes – the coastal road leading to Reawick. When I wake every morning I check the BBC weather app for the day’s forecast. That will determine what I do that day (ie: indoor exercising, a bike ride or longer outdoor adventuring). Sunday morning’s forecast predicted low wind and high cloud, with little peeks of sunshine for the afternoon as well as a rather balmy 7°C – a reasonably good day for a hill walk with the family after the Christmas and New Year laziness.
Long before daylight made an appearance I got a pot of my current favourite soup on to cook. I’ve made a few batches of this curried butternut squash soup lately and I have to say it really is rather fantastic. The recipe is based on a carrot soup with seven spices found in Paul Gayler’s Great Homemade Soups: A Cook’s Collection. I’ve adapted the original recipe slightly, both in ingredients and preparation, to suit my cooking style and ingredient availability.
Before anyone else was out of bed I had our OS map out and spread across the kitchen table while the soup cooked, looking for suitable locations for a coastal hill walk.
We chose the most southern tip of the west mainland of Shetland for our walk. Donning our wind and waterproof layers, our walk began at the Silwick beach, one of my new favourite haunts. The Christmas and New Year storms had tossed up loads of new treasures onto the beach – giant seaweed, rubber boots (but just left boots!) and a few old cork floats that I took home to add to my windowsill collection.
We followed the rather dramatic coastline for two miles exploring the geos, fairy pools and boulder strewn hill tops. I, like many people I should think, have resumed a fitness regime with this new year and I am really feeling it. Last Saturday I went back to the Tank Built Conditioning Class I did last year for 12 weeks (and loved), and oh my, the next day after that first session of the year – oh my glutes! My seven year old and I took turns pushing each other up the steeper hills as my muscles have become rather out of shape with disuse these last few winter months!
Our destination: a cairn on the top of a hill with the most spectacular sea views overlooking what our map had labelled ‘The Deeps’.
There we sheltered on the lee side of a hill, found appropriate natural stone seating and ate our lunch of hot soup, ham and cheese sandwiches on home made wholemeal bread and warmed our fingers with tin mugs of hot chocolate and cappuccino while we scoured the sea for orcas. A perfect January picnic.
I really do love this soup recipe. If I’m making it for just grown-ups (for work lunches, etc.) I’ll make it with a chopped fresh red chilli, seeds and all, and then cool it down to taste with a dollop of natural yogurt. If I’m making it for the kids to eat too (as in this case) I replaced the fresh chilli with a pinch of red chilli flakes. No yogurt is needed but it’s still got that lovely warming, spicy flavour without being overpowering. Perfect for sipping on the hillside.
As we were hiking along the clifftops we could see the weather approaching. Great thick grey clouds of drizzle would envelope us for awhile before the skies would brighten again. The sun even peeped out once or twice.
On the way back though we found ourselves on the top of a hill next to a trig point in a very thick cloud, so much so that we couldn’t see where we were going to get back to the car. The children learned a very important lesson about always bringing a map and compass on hikes; a crash course in orienteering.
Alas, we didn’t spot any orcas on our hike, but we were treated to the sight (and sounds) of two chirping otters when we were safely back on the beach. They make such a bizarre sound – at first you think it’s a bird, but then you realise the sound is mammalian in origin. It was a lovely treat to see these two otters playing in the rough surf.
All in all it was a pretty fantastic day. It was much needed to blow the cobwebs away after a lazy Christmas and New Year!
Do you have a favourite soup recipe that you take with you on hikes? Let me know in the comments!
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil (I use Borderfield)
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp whole curry leaves
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- 450 grams butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 inch fresh ginger root peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder (I use Sharwood's)
- 1 small fresh red chilli finely chopped (see note)
- 0.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 10 green cardamom pods cracked and inner seeds only
- 1 litre chicken stock (I use Essential Cuisine)
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- plain natural yoghurt to serve
- fresh coriander leaves to serve
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Instructions
- Heat the rapeseed oil in a large soup pan over a medium high heat. Add the black mustard seeds and curry leaves, and cook until the seeds begin to pop.
- Add the onion, garlic, butternut squash, curry powder, chilli, cumin and cardamom. Reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable begin to soften.
- Add the stock and the turmeric and season to taste. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Using a hand-held or high-speed blender, blend until smooth.
- Serve with a dollop of natural yogurt and a scattering of fresh coriander leaves (not pictured) if desired.
Notes
OTHER SOUP RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Carrot & Cumin Soup by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Carrot Soup by Splodz Blogz
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup by Thinly Spread
Simple Butternut Squash Soup by Greedy Gourmet
Red Lentil Soup with Tomatoes, Herbs & Roasted Garlic by Coffee & Vanilla
Spicy Roast Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup by Utterly Scrummy
Spiced Parsnip & Spinach Soup with Apple & Turmeric by Tin & Thyme
Celeriac & Hazelnut Soup by The Veg Space
Butternut Squash & Kale Soup by Fab Food 4 All
Chicken, Leek & Barley Soup by Gingey Bites
SHARING WITH SOME BLOGGING LINKIES
Cook Once Eat Twice by Searching for Spice
Recipe of the Week by A Mummy Too
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Great Homemade Soups: A Cook’s Collection
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Oh wow, such beautiful scenery. This soup looks ideal for a warming treat on your walk. Certainly hung to give this soup s try.
That soup looks lovely. I used to make soup a lot, but I haven’t made any recently. The scenery from your walk is amazing- shame you didn’t see any Orcas this time.
Not only the photos are beautiful bu oh yum, the food itself looks and sounds totally delicious. I just can’t take away my eyes from it.
I saw this soup on Pinterest last night and knew it must be yours for the fabulous view along. Now I’m reading the ingredients I’m completely blown away, sounds totally lush and perfect for this cold snap!
What an adventure! We’re going on an Orca Hunt! I love reading about your family’s adventures and how you really make the most of where you live. How fabulous to have a flask of that delicious soup to tuck into while out hiking.
Sounds like you went on a bit of an adventure! The soup must have warmed you up nicely after. It all looks beautiful (the scenery and the soup!)
The scenery is just stunning where you live. This sup looks perfect to eat after a long walk.
This recipe sounds lovely – I’ve been on the lookout for a new soup recipe or two to add to my repertoire, and this ticks all the right boxes. Thanks!
That sounds like a gorgeous soup! It’s just got cold here and I’m really craving some comfort food. Will be saving this recipe for later.
In winter, I love having hot soup in my dinner and I look forward to new recipes for the soups. I will soon try this recipe. Thanks for sharing
That’s a lovely and comforting soup! I’m sure it tastes amazing with all the spices in it! I’d love to make it a little more spicy just like you mentioned.
Lovely soup and the setting is so wonderful. The coastline looks so magnificent and the photos are really stunning.
Delicious! It sounds perfect for a cold day to warm up x #recipeoftheweek
The soup sounds delicious! And what a beautiful part of the world you live in!!
I love this! It’s nice to be able to gi in trips like this with the kids. I’m sure you guys had a great time together. I love the recipe! It’s packed with lovely flavors!
That’s a beautiful way to go to a nice place, stay there and have some warm soup. I’m more of a spice person but having that yogurt can really help it be more enjoyable for my companions.
I would love to go look for orcas, that sounds like a lot of fun! This soup looks amazing, it looks so warm on what could be a super cold day.
I’d never thought of taking soup on a hike! What a beautiful part of the world. We love the islands and coastal walks so will most likely visit one day. Definitely lucky you had a map and compass. Great pictures!! #countrykids
Wow beautiful photos..reminds me of an island I visited off of Ireland…stunning! And I bet this soup was the perfect ending to the day 🙂
I love all of these scenic, gorgeous photos and that soup looks amazing! So many great flavors and spices in there.
Such a great read, the soup looks tasty!
I have never had a soup like this before but it looks amazing. I am going to have to give it a try.
This soup looks really good! It definitely looks like it would warm me up on a winter night.
It looks so beautiful there Elizabeth. My husband is from the UK and I’ve never been! His family is in Australia now. We will have to take our son there one day to see where his dad grew up. This soup looks perfect for this weather! I am in Oregon, and we are having record breaking snow falls– which is really messing up my travel plans.
Beautiful nature photos and the soup looks gorgeous! Adding it to my to-make list 🙂
Looks luscious x
I love butternut squash soup and your recipe sounds really good. Especially, since it’s so cold out.
I’ve only ever tried butternut squash once and I hated it. I honestly think that I cooked it wrong, though. This sounds delicious/
Sounds delicious. And what a fun adventure!
What a perfect soup to take on a hike! It looks like beautiful scenery too – I’m quite envious! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
You cannot beat a curried squash soup, it adds extra flavour to the silkiness of the squash…..and I love where you live too……I used to visit there on walking holidays many years ago. Karen
What a lovely experience – I can imagine how comforting this soup must have been in that place, to share as a family! Perfect!
We are all about healthy homemade soups at the moment and yours looks fabulous! Thanks so much!
You live in such a beautiful, naturally rugged, special part of the world. I could well imagine finding my peace there. And I adore curried butternut soup although I make mine thicker – love the look of your recipe.
What a fun day and I bet that soup hit the spot!
What beautiful pictures and wonderful soup to go with. I love this recipe- much lighter then other squash soups.
Butternut squash is one of my faves and this looks like the perfect comfort food during winter. I love the sound of this curried version.
Wow, this looks amazing. I love the variety of things you can do with butternut squash. <3
The soup looks so delicious! I’ll definitely keep the recipe in mind:)
I think after such an adventure in such weather, homemade soup is a fantastic treat. Butternut squash soup is one of my faves esp, echanced with spices and if this recipe is adapted by Paul Gayler, I know its already a winner. Love your photographs too.
What a fantastic place to sit and eat homemade soup! Lovely 🙂
Orcas and soup! Amazing. And the soup sounds delicious, I’m envious of your picnic. I must copy this idea!
A perfect soup for a gorgeous day! I can’t wait to try it myself!
What an amazing, beautiful, and delicious soup adventure! The recipe sounds fantastic and the rainy day on the coast was perfect for it. This is such an original recipe post. Well done!
What a great place to live to be active! That must be amazing to see Orca’s out in the wild when you actually do! Thanks for sharing! Most of my new fitness regimen has included a gym and an elliptical while streaming Season 2 of ZNation!
I had butternut squash soup for the first time in October. I loved it! I am going to need to make this for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Kaitlyn
http://www.mypostpartumlife.com
Omg this looks absolutely delicious!!!! I love curry and I love squash!!! Must give this a try
Oh man I know some one who would love this!
One day I am going to explore your lovely island. Your hikes over that rugged coastal terrain always look so spectacular. I actually managed to get my children out for a coastal walk here on Christmas Day, it was bracing and beautiful, I bet it was colder up with you though. Love the sound of your soup, the perfect winter picnic and the spices sound so warming. Stay safe with the forecast snow later this week.
Thank you for joining me for #CountryKids, lovely to see you back for the start of the new year.
What a gorgeous area.
That soup looks delicious. I love squash soups.
Looks like your family had a great day out, along with a great picnic together! Sorry you didn’t see any Orcas, but I think it worked out well that you had your compass and could teach your kids not only how to use one, but how important they can be to have around.
I’ve made a version of this for a few years now – it’s a great favourite in our home! I use coconut milk instead of the yogurt – gives it a really lovely flavour! Love your blog and photos! Thank you!
Your photo are beyond stunning and that soup looks delicious!!
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This looks like the best comfort soup ever! It looks like a perfect dish for winter. Love all the pictures and everything you captured on photographs. Pinned it!