Greenhouse Tomato Soup
My mum always said there were two ingredients she couldn’t cook without: lemons and tomatoes, and she grew both plentifully in her garden in Kent. In late August Mum’s much loved poly-tunnel produces a mountain of tomatoes, in all sizes and colours, as well as parsley and basil. In preparation for darker months in the Winter she would harvest huge trays of tomatoes for this roasted tomato sauce. She then used her trusty Kenwood blender to make multiple batches quickly. The process couldn’t be simpler, but with good tomatoes it is wonderful to eat. It’s now our end of Summer tradition to carry on.
To make this soup find the best tomatoes and cherry tomatoes you can at the end of the Summer, there will be a natural glut in the UK. Roast them to bring out their natural sweetness. You can make this soup straightaway, or freeze the roasted tomato purée.
To make the soup you sauté simple vegetable base (onion/ celery/ garlic) to give the soup body, then add the roasted tomatoes and some good stock. Strain and season with salt, black pepper, sugar and double cream. It makes for a wonderful comforting bowl of soup. Cheese toast on the side is optional!
Green House Tomato Prep ~
1.2kg tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
sea salt
olive oil
Place whole tomatoes with basil and parsley on a roasting tray. Toss with olive oil. Roast for 45-60 minutes at 180 C (fan oven). Remove to cool, and then remove the skins. Blend until liquid. Strain. Season to taste. Freeze in batches if storing.
to make Greenhouse Tomato Soup ~
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and diced
500ml of Greenhouse tomato puree
300ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sugar, or more as needed
sea salt and black pepper
1-2 tablespoons double cream, to taste (optional)
In a large soup pot soften the onion, celery and garlic cloves in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, until translucent and soft (this should take around 15 minutes or so). Add the roasted tomatoes/ or the roasted tomato puree you have stored. Cover with the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Cool until you can safely blend the soup, I find a stick blender is easiest. Strain the soup through a regular household sieve and push through the soup with a ladle. Keep the strained soup and discard the tougher vegetable fibres and “bits”. (This step isn’t necessary, the soup is just as delicious without straining). Finally, add the double cream, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm and enjoy.
Top Tip
When serving soup to small children, I serve it warm (not boiling hot) in a handled child size mug. Toast sticks for dunking are always popular too. My kids will eat small amounts of soup, so if I am trying to bulk up the meal, I might add a toasted sandwich on the side.
Photos are taken in our greenhouse in Kent