Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbs butter

• 1 onion (roughly chopped)

• Garlic (optional)

• 1 tbs plain flour

• 600g vegetable stock

• 450g/1lb tomatoes

• 1 tbs tomato puree

• Fresh or dried/basil

• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1) Melt butter into a saucepan. Add onion and fry gently until softened, (add garlic also)

2) Add tbs of flour, and stir and fry on a low heat, stirring until a sandy texture, be careful not to burn!

3) Add the stock, a little at a time, whisking to keep smooth, until all the stock has been added, then add the tomatoes and the tomato puree

4) Cover and simmer on the lowest heat, for ½ to 1 hour, until the tomatoes are well and truly softened and the colour is nice and even. Be sure to stir a few times to prevent sticking.

5) You now need to sieve the soup, pushing with the back of a wooden spoon, stirring and scraping, to get all the juices through, then discard the pips, onion and peel.

6) Return to heat for a minute or so, and add basil, salt and pepper to taste