Ladle in the nostalgia with bowls of sweet and creamy pumpkin soup. It's virtually a hug in liquid form and it's going to win you plenty of appreciative smiles. We've added earthy, crispy sage and salty feta for an extra dose of cosy comfort.
Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced and prepare garlic bread according to packet instructions. Crush garlic. Cut green top from leek and discard. Halve leek lengthwise, rinse under cold water and finely slice. Finely slice fennel. Peel and cut pumpkin into 2cm pieces. Pick sage leaves from their stems, leave half whole and finely chop the other half.
Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add whole sage leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Continue to cook butter in the saucepan for a further 30 seconds or until nutty brown in colour. Add garlic, leek, fennel and chopped sage and cook for 5–6 minutes or until fennel has softened.
Add pumpkin and stir to combine. Dissolve stock cubes in 850ml boiling water and add to saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15–20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.
Remove saucepan from heat and, using a stick or benchtop blender, carefully blend soup until smooth. Take care as the soup will be hot and may splutter.
Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup between bowls, crumble over feta and top with crispy sage leaves. Serve with garlic bread.