Spiced tomato soup with horseradish

Mark Hi
Saturday 26 July 2008 00:00 BST
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Cold soups in the summer are often overlooked but they make a refreshing dinner party starter. In the following recipes I have tried to combine the flavours, textures and colours of summer so that you can suitably impress your dinner guests without too much fuss.

Spiced tomato soup with horseradish

Serves 4

This is a version of a bloody Mary that makes a great soup to start off a Sunday brunch. A few tomato growers around the country are growing old heritage varieties of tomatoes, which make fantastic salads and fun soups such as this one. You can use over-ripe tomatoes for the base and a selection of coloured or heritage tomatoes for the garnish.

250g ripe red tomatoes, halved and deseeded
250g ripe cherry tomatoes
150ml tomato juice
Half clove of garlic, peeled and blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes
A few drops of Tabasco to taste
1-2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish

60–70g mixed tomatoes (Heritage, red and yellow cherry, plum, etc)
About 20–30g freshly grated horseradish
2tbsp olive oil

Put the ripe tomatoes in a liquidiser with the cherry tomatoes, tomato juice and garlic. Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to taste, then chill in the fridge for an hour or two, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes if you're in a hurry.

To serve, pour into large, chilled soup bowls or soup plates. Cut the mixed tomatoes into even-sized chunks and arrange in the centre. Scatter the grated horseradish on top and drizzle with the olive oil.

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