Peel the onion, discard the root end and cut it in half, then into half-moon slices.

With a spoon, peel the ginger. Chop it into small cubes.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, leek and ginger, and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Carefully cut the pumpkin into halves. If desired, peel the skin off.

Peel the carrot and cut into medium-sized pieces.

Place pumpkin, pumpkin puree and carrot into the pot, and add the water. It should cover most of the vegetables, if not all. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until pumpkin and carrot are tender. It all should take about 20 minutes.

Blend it until smooth (see note about blending).

Pour back into the pot and add salt, pepper, and heavy cream. Heat until hot, but don’t let it boil - after adding the cream, it may split if boiled.