Place a sauté pan on medium heat.

Gently fry the bacon lardons until crispy, then set aside.

Peel, de-seed and chop the butternut squash into1 inch pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the chopped shallots for about 6 minutes until soft, but not coloured.

Add the chopped squash and the butter.

Stirring gently, cook over a medium heat for approximately 10 minutes until the squash is soft and turning slightly golden.

Pour in enough of the vegetable stock to cover the squash and simmer gently for about 6 to 8 minutes until the squash is very soft.

Remove from the heat.

Lift the vegetables from the stock with a slotted spoon and place in a blender.

Add 2 tbls of the remaining stock and blitz until smooth.

Pour the puree back into the pan and add the cream.

Add any remaining stock until the mixture has the consistency of pouring cream.

Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan and set-aside until your ready to serve.

Warm the soup through before you start to cook the scallops.

Halve each scallop horizontally and season with salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve, fry the scallops for about one minute on each side (do not over cook) until lightly golden.

To serve, pour the soup into warmed soup bowls, place a scallop disc or two into the centre and then scatter over the crispy lardons and chopped parsley.