heirloom tomato soup

Look for ripe, juicy varieties as this soup is only as good as the tomatoes used.

1.8kg ripe heirloom tomatoes 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 60ml sherry vinegar

80ml extra-virgin olive oil, preferably French

Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

150g finely diced assorted sweet peppers

145g tiny heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size

35g finely diced red onion or shallot

15g thinly sliced green parts of spring onions

Small handful of small fresh basil leaves and blossoms (optional)

Fruity extra-virgin olive oil, preferably French, for drizzling

To make the soup, first peel the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and fill a bowl with ice and water. Use a sharp paring knife to make a tiny cross in the bottom of each tomato. Working in batches, add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch for 30-60 seconds until the skins are starting to peel away.

Use a slotted spoon to lift the tomatoes out of the boiling water and plunge them into the iced water. Gently peel off the skins. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, removing and discarding the cores, but reserving the juice. Transfer the chopped tomatoes and juice to a large bowl and add the cucumbers and garlic.

Working in batches, in a blender, purée the tomato mixture, adding enough sherry vinegar and olive oil to allow the mixture to spin. Blend until smooth, then strain through a very fine sieve into a 2-litre container. Repeat until all the soup is blended. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight.

To make the garnish, combine the cucumber, sweet peppers, tomatoes, red onion, most of the onion greens and most of the basil (if using) in a bowl. Divide among 8 to 10 chilled shallow soup bowls.

Ladle the soup into the bowls over the garnish. Sprinkle with the remaining onion greens and basil (if using), drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.