We’ve made a few quick tomato soups recently so we should maybe describe this as a slow one. This takes about 40 minutes but is worth it and gives a much more home-made flavour, super-healthy too.
Cream of tomato soup – to serve 4
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 500g plum tomatoes
- 200ml passata
- 400ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large sprig of thyme
- a small handful of basil leaves (if you have them)
- 100ml single cream
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and carrot over a low heat fro 6-7 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaf and thyme, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalk. Season and add the basil. Whizz until smooth with a hand blender, stir in the cream and serve.
(Original recipe by Annabel Karmel in BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2004.)

