On a chilly Autumn evening there is nothing better than coming home to a bowl of soup. At my local bus stop, the famous  brand  with 57 varieties is currently being advertised and the pictures evoked memories of my mum making soup in her  mustard coloured cast iron stockpot. I decided to share my tomato soup recipe with a Mediterranean twist. It’s easy to make, and a healthy, filling lunch or supper. My tip is to keep the seeds from the fresh tomatoes in the fridge which can be stirred into pasta for another meal so there’s no waste.

Ingredients  (serves 6-8)

Tomatoes from The Tomato Stall, grown in Isle of Wight

• 2 large white onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 dessertspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt, freshly ground
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 500g (17.6 oz) fresh tomato passata or canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded & diced
• 6 vine tomatoes, seeded & diced
• 2 litres  (8.5 cups) vegetable stock
• 150g (5.3 oz) uncooked couscous
• 100g (3.5 oz) feta cheese crumbled for garnish
• 2 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped for garnish

Method

Heat the oil in a large stockpot on  a medium heat, add the onion and sugar and sweat for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, sea salt & black pepper and cook for 2 minutes stirring to coat the onions. Add the tomato passata or canned tomatoes and simmer on a low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock bring to the boil on a medium-high heat, partially cover with a lid, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in fresh tomatoes and couscous and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more black pepper and salt if needed.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and add the crumbled feta and chopped spring onions.