Quick help please - best flavourings for carrot soup?

[thereistheball]

I have friends coming for lunch and am making carrot soup since I have lots of carrots. They are boiling in stock with a leek and an onion and some garlic as I type. What are the nicest flavourings for carrot soup - coriander, cumin, ginger? We will be having it with bread and cheese (Comte and a goats cheese) and leftover lentil salad (Puy lentils with cherry tomatoes, red peppers and red onion).

[oopsacoconut]

fresh corriander if you have it.

[Scootergrrrl]

Cumin is my favourite.

[fishie]

orange is nice. dh prefers it just carrot and onion but he puts maple syrup on eggs so perhaps we should discount his opinion.

[thereistheball]

Only have frozen fresh coriander, IYSWIM, but it might work. Love cumin but will it go with the cheese?

[thereistheball]

Fishie, my FIL has maple syrup in his salad dressing (with balsamic and oil)

Unfortunately carrot and orange soup reminds me of home ec at school (and anyway I don't have an orange).

[duchesse]

Carrots work well I find.

[oopsacoconut]

frozen fresh will be fine

[duchesse]

Seriously though, use half orange juice and half stock, and grate the zest of an orange with a fine grater (micro plane type if you have) into the soup, and hey presto! Instant cheer in a bowl.

[thereistheball]

That sounds much nicer than my home ec version. Too late now (and no oranges) but I will do that next week. Thanks! Today I think it will be fresh coriander and maybe some ginger to give it a bit more of a lift.