Roast tomato soup and cheese scones

This was a recipe made by Adriana a great friend of mine who used to be part of The Supper Club. She wowed us with this soup and it is a recipe I have made again and again. It's perfect for the summer when tomatoes are in season, full of flavour and utterly delicious. The scones are filling and tasty and really work well alongside the gutsy soup. 

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1kg cherry tomatoes

3 cloves garlic in their skin

1.2 litres chicken stock

1 heaped tsp muscavado sugar

Method

1. Roast the tomatoes in a roasting tin for about an hour in a medium oven. The skins will have split and the juices run.
2. Allow the tomatoes to cool until you can handle them, then skin them and the garlic and put in the blender with two or three ladles of hot stock. 
3. Whizz, then sieve, including the skins from which you can press the flavour.
4. Return to the pan with the rest of the stock, add the sugar and seasoning to taste and serve. You can garnish it with basil, cream or parsley but I think it is delicious just as it is.

Cheese and Thyme scones

Start making them half an hour before the soup is ready.

Makes 12 scones

50g butter

225g strong white flour

pinch sea salt

1 tbsp baking powder

110g good strong cheddar- grated

1 tsp English mustard powder

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

a pinch of cayenne pepper

150ml milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.Rub the butter and sifted flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. 
2. Add two-thirds of the grated cheese and the mustard, thyme and cayenne, and then gradually cut the milk in with a knife to make a soft dough. Roll it out to 1.5cm then cut with an upturned glass or pastry cutter.
3. Put scones on a greased baking tray, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes. Set on a wire rack for five minutes, then eat hot with butter.