Ingredients

• 1.2 kg ripe tomatoesripe plum or vine
• 1 onionquartered
• 1 garlic bulbtop trimmed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 80 ml double cream
• 8 sourdough slices
• 100 g mature cheddargrated from a block, with the others, for a smoother melt
• 100 g low-moisture mozzarellagrated
• 80 g Gruyeregrated
• 30 g butter
• 1 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 01

   Roast the tomatoes

   Heat the oven to 210 C / 190 C fan. Put the halved tomatoes cut side up on a large tray with the quartered onion and the garlic bulb, top trimmed off. Toss with the olive oil and season, then roast for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed and their edges are beginning to blacken.

   1.2 kg ripe tomatoes · 2 tbsp olive oil

2. 02

   Roast the tomato puree too

   Push the vegetables aside, dollop the 1 tbsp tomato puree into the bare patch of the tray and roast everything for a further 10 minutes. The puree darkens from bright red to brick and loses its raw tinned edge. This is what gives the soup its depth.

   1 tbsp tomato puree

3. 03

   Blend

   Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins into a large saucepan and scrape in everything from the tray, including the sticky roasted juices. Add the stock and brown sugar, blend until completely smooth, then simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

   500 ml vegetable stock · 1 tsp brown sugar

4. 04

   Finish the soup

   Stir in the cream and taste carefully for salt and acidity. Tomatoes vary enormously, so it may want another pinch of sugar or a squeeze of lemon. It should taste bright, not flat.

   80 ml double cream

   Taste the soup twiceTomatoes vary wildly. Sugar if sharp, lemon if flat, salt if dull, and after the cream.

5. 05

   Build the toasties

   Mix the cheddar, mozzarella and Gruyere together. Butter the outsides of the 8 sourdough slices with the butter and fill each sandwich generously with the cheese mixture, taking it right to the edges.

   100 g mature cheddar · 100 g low-moisture mozzarella · 80 g Gruyere · 8 sourdough slices · 30 g butter

   Why three cheesesCheddar for flavour, mozzarella for the pull, Gruyere for the savoury edge.

6. 06

   Cook them low and covered

   Cook in a frying pan over medium-low heat with a lid on for 3-4 minutes a side, pressing gently with a spatula. The lid traps enough heat to melt a thick layer of cheese before the bread burns. Without it, you get a dark crust and a cold centre.

   Low heat and a lidA thick toastie needs six to eight minutes to melt through without cremating the bread.

7. 07

   Serve

   Cut the toasties into fingers for dipping and serve with the soup piping hot.