Cream of tomato soup, NOT courtesy of Mr Heinz

My 'January soup month' has kicked off  now.  Today I wanted to re-create my children's favourite shop-bought soup, and I've been looking for the perfect recipe for a few days. 

I couldn't find one which was exactly right, so I checked various measurements and volume ratios and made my own. 

Cream of tomato soup

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 sticks of celery
4 x 400g tins of good quality chopped tomatoes.
1 litre of stock (I used Marigold)
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
300g double cream
handful of torn basil leaves(optional)



Cook the onion, garlic and celery in some oil until softened.  Add the tinned tomatoes and the stock and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Add the sugar, vinegar and seasoning and stir well.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.  Add the basil leaves, if using. Pour a few ladles at a time, into a blender and whizz until smooth.   Pour back into the pan and reheat if needed.  

And of course, you need some nice bread to go with it!  We had either spelt and pumpkin seed or French stick. 

Perfect winter food!