Ingredients
Method
- Roast the vegetables. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Tip the tomatoes, peppers and onions onto a large roasting tray. Slice the top off the whole garlic head to expose the cloves and nestle it in amongst the vegetables. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and roast for 35–40 minutes until everything is soft, slightly caramelised and smelling incredible.
- Make the soup. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins directly into a large pot - they'll be soft and jammy and completely transformed. Add all the roasted vegetables, the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer for five minutes, then blend until completely smooth. Stir through the double cream, taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Make the grilled cheese. Butter both sides of each sourdough slice and fill generously with grated cheddar. Cook in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, pressing down gently, until deeply golden on both sides and the cheese is completely melted.
- To serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, add a swirl of cream and a few fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately with the grilled cheese alongside for dunking.
Notes
Roasting the vegetables rather than frying them is what gives this soup its depth - don't be tempted to shortcut it. The caramelisation is everything.
The whole roasted garlic is a game changer here. It loses all of its sharpness in the oven and becomes sweet and mellow - completely different to raw garlic and absolutely worth doing.
This freezes brilliantly without the cream - add it fresh when you reheat.