Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut into quarters. Place them on a baking tray and and lightly brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place them into the oven for 6-8mins at 180C, until the skins just start to look charred.

Place the water and stock cube in a saucepan. Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the chopped vegetables become tender.

Remove the peppers from the oven and when cool enough to handle, put them into a sealed plastic bag and let them cool. Once they have cooled, remove from the bag and peel off the charred skin. Chop the flesh into small pieces and add to the saucepan along with the tinned tomatoes.

Simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and and add the fresh basil. Whizz everything together with a hand held blender, taste and check for seasoning.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or splash of cream.