Chef in the Spotlight…..Judith Govey

Of course, soup is at the heart of the Café menu year round – our talented cooking teams are experts at producing simmering pots of nutritious and delicious goodness from whatever veggies they’re given week after week. So as the season turns, it feels only right to focus on one of our brilliant soup chefs – Judith Govey – to find out a bit about her volunteering story and to share her most popular recipe!

Judith has been a regular volunteer at Linden Hall in Hampton since 2022. Having been inspired chatting to Clare at TRJFP stall in Hampton, she decided to go along to Linden Hall the next day where she made her first soup and hasn’t looked back since! As well as being a huge fan of the amount of food TRJFP saves from landfill every week, Judith feels passionately that as a non-referral hub the Project is able to genuinely offer help to everyone without evaluation or formality. She feels a great strength of camaraderie and closeness with her fellow volunteers and also believes that for so many of our guests, the Project provides a space and opportunity to socialise – possibly the only moment in their week to connect with others.

Judith’s soups are well-loved by all the Linden Hall guests, but their favourite is her Spicy Thai Butternut Squash, so we thought that was clearly the one we needed to share – enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 8):

1.5kg butternut squash peeled and small diced,

1 large onion diced

2 sticks celery diced, 5cm fresh ginger grated

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 tbsp Thai curry paste (red or green)

1.5l vegetable stock, 400ml can coconut milk

Small bunch fresh coriander (remove stalks and finely chop)

Pinch salt

Method:

If you have time, start by roasting the butternut squash in the oven for 20-25 mins for a richer flavour, but don’t worry if not. Begin by heating oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, ginger, garlic and cook for 5-10 mins until soft. Add 2 tbsp curry and cook for 2-3 mins until fragrant. Add the butternut squash and stock and simmer for 20-30 mins until squash is very tender. Remove pan from heat and using a hand blender whizz until smooth then add coconut milk. Add coriander and bring back to simmer, adjust seasoning to taste. If more heat/spice is required then add another tablespoon of curry paste (heat in pan first to release flavour) and bring back to simmer. Then serve and enjoy!