I’ve never really been one for a cold soup but I arrived home at the weekend to this and slurped it in the sunshine – it was just the ticket. Taken from an incredibly old (1976) book of Spanish regional cookery, it is a traditional recipe that you just can’t go wrong with; fresh, quick, healthy and perfect for the summer. Get some really fresh, juicy tomatoes that are now in the season in Britain, they will make all the difference.

To serve 4:

2 tbsp stale breadcrumbs

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

half a cucumber, deseeded and chopped

Soak the breadcrumbs and garlic in the vinegar and oil and set aside. Prepare all the veg and pop into a blender with the soaked breadcrumbs. Blitz until everything is reduced to a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper and add a little water if it is really thick, it’s nice to be able to vaguely drink it! Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

My mum swears by an icecube, croutons and a chopped up hard-boiled egg for garnish. They certainly make it more of a meal. The book suggests any combination of cucumber, onion, pepper, tomato and egg chopped up into tiny pieces for the garnish – go wild!