Balsamic Roasted Thyme & Tomato Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place them on one side of a baking tray. Peel and chop the onion and add to the tray. Drop on the unpeeled garlic clove. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil. Tumble the cherry tomatoes onto the other side of the tray. Slide the tray into the oven and roast for 30 mins till the edges are charred.

2. While the veg roast, roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Fill and boil your kettle, then pour 200ml hot water over the sun dried tomatoes and leave to soak.

3. Take the roast tomatoes out of the oven and pour the balsamic vinegar over them, then return to the oven for 10 mins. Menahwile, pick the thyme leaves off their woody sprigs.

4. Scoop the roast tomatoes and onions into a pan. Leave the cherry tomatoes on the tray. Squeeze the roasted garlic clove into the pan, discarding the skin. Sprinkle in most of the thyme leaves. Pour in the sun dried tomatoes and their soaking water. Pour in 400ml hot water from the kettle into the pan. Bring to a simmer.

5. Blend the soup till smooth using a hand-held blender or transfer into a blender. Pour the soup back into the pan, if you need to, then pop on a gentle heat and tip in the whole, roasted cherry tomatoes. Stir to mix. Taste and season with salt, pepper or a pinch of sugar.

6. Serve the soup in warm bowls with any remaining thyme leaves sprinkled on top.