Easy tomato soup with cheese toasties

A big pan of smooth tomato soup with crunchy cheese toasties for dunking. Good all year round.

Ingredients

• 1 Onions, chopped
• 150 g Carrots, grated
• 1 Garlic, crushed
• 20 ml Olive oil
• 800 g Chopped tomatoes
• 20 g Tomato purée
• 1 Vegetable stock cubes, made up with 400ml hot water
• 5 g Caster sugar
• 2 g Mixed herbs
• 0.5 Bread, 8 slices
• 150 g Cheddar, grated
• 30 g Butter, softened

Method

1. Warm the oil in a large pan and cook the onion and carrot for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for the last minute.
2. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, sugar and herbs. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Blend the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth and season to taste.
4. Butter the outside of the bread slices, fill with cheese and toast in a hot frying pan for 3 minutes each side until golden and melted.
5. Cut the toasties into soldiers and serve with the soup for dunking.