Chalet girl's chunky tomato and basil soup

Finely chop onions. Melt butter in a large pan. Gently cook onions in butter until soft and translucent, low heat.

Add the sugar and vinegar to slightly caramelise the onions, stir. Then add the flour. Cook flour out for 1-2mins stirring continuously.

Add the tomatoes and stir to get any sticky bits off the bottom of the pan. Don't break up the tomatoes, leave whole. Add the stock cube and enough boiling water to give 'soupy' consistency (don't want it to be too runny). Bring soup to the boil then turn down and simmer for about 45mins/1hour.

Add the basil (as much as you want or have, a few table spoons maybe). Stir well. Taste - add seasoning (salt and pepper) as required and more sugar if still slightly too acidic.

For chunky soup, use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes, giving a chunky texture. Or, use a hand blender or put in liquidiser. You could blend all the soup or just part of it - however you like it!

To serve, put the soup in a bowl and finish with a drizzle of cream in a circular motion to create a swirl (partly for appearance, but also tastes good with the soup) and add a sprig of basil. Delicious served with crusty bread or baguette.