Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 20mins

Ingredients:

500 g/1 lb 2 oz large ripe tomatoes

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves,

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs

salt and pepper

Method

First, skin the tomatoes. Bring a kettle of water to the boil, put the tomatoes into a heatproof bowl, then pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Let them soak for about 3 minutes, then lift them out of the water and leave to cool slightly. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, gently pierce the skins with the point of a knife. Remove and discard the skins.

Halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds Chop the flesh and put it into a food processor. Add the oil, spring onions, red peppers, garlic, cucumber, vinegar and mixed herbs to the food processor. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Strain the blended mixture through a sieve into a large bowl, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Ladle the chilled soup into serving bowls and garnish with croutons and sprigs of fresh basil. Serve with fresh crusty rolls.

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