Gardener's soup

Ingredients

350g ripe tomatoes

350g cucumber, peeled and chopped

25g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

2-3 small cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

The outside leaves of a lettuce, shredded

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

1 pint hot water

1 desert spoon tomato purée

1 small handful of fresh basil, shredded

Sea salt

Freshly-milled black pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion in that for about five minutes on a low heat.
2. Add the garlic, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and potato. Season and stir.
3. Put the lid on and sweat the vegetables on a a low heat for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add the hot water and tomato purée and heat to simmering point. Cover and simmer gently for a further 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
5. Blend the soup until the vegetables are in fine bits. Taste and season as necessary.
6. Stir in the basil and serve immediately. Goes well with some fresh crusty bread.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)