Over the years I have grown tomatoes in a greenhouse, as have my neighbours, friends and family… the list goes on. There is probably a high chance you will know someone that has an abundance of tomatoes as this summer starts to come to an end. This recipe is a sure way to use them up.

Ingredients – Serves 4

30ml extra virgin olive oil

800g plum tomatoes – cut into quarters

1 x onion - sliced

2 x garlic cloves sliced

1 tsp. caster sugar

800ml-1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock

Hot salt and ground black pepper

Handful of basil leaves

Thyme sprigs

Rosemary sprigs

2 tbsp. double cream

200g baby cherry tomatoes on the vine

Method - Preheat oven to 220°C, Gas 7

To begin, pour the olive oil into a roasting tin and heat in the oven until hot.

Carefully tip in the tomatoes, onions and garlic, then stir around to coat in the oil. Scatter over the thyme and rosemary sprigs, sprinkle with sugar and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until nicely coloured.

Tip the roasted tomatoes and flavourings into a saucepan. Pour the stock over the tomatoes and bring them to the boil.

Strain the stock, reserving the tomato mixture. Tip the tomatoes into a blender or food processor and blitz gradually along with the basil leaves adding the stock back in bit by bit until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve into a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

For the garnish of the soup, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the cherry tomatoes for a minute or two.

Reheat the soup if necessary and serve in a bowl and top with the pan-roasted vine tomatoes and a drizzle the cream.

Gary Townsend is Chef Owner  of Elements, New Kirk Road, Bearsden, Glasgow. G61 3SJ www.elementsgla.com