I still remember the surprise and joy on one of my first holidays abroad, when a plate of tomatoes covered in oregano was served up to me and I properly tasted a tomato for the first time – properly by which I mean the sweet and juicy flavour of a tomato what has grown on a vine smothered in sunshine as it develops. I love the idea of locally grown but I think a tomato which hasn’t grown outside in the sun is an insipid affair. Instead I tend to make sauces with them which I use on the side or as the base of some of my recipes. This little gem of a recipe is like a ketchup but so much more delicious in my opinion – use it for meat or chicken dishes, stir it into lentils beans or vegetables and store in the fridge and it even passes muster with Eva as ketchup for chips.

Homemade Spicy Tomato Sauce
250gr cherry tomatoes halved
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pinches of thyme leaves

1 tbsp seasame oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp cayenne
150 ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato passsata

Oven at 170
Place tomatoes on a tray, season, sprinkle over the olive oil and thyme leaves and roast for about 30 minutes until slightly charred. Let cool.
Tip into a blender, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Add the glug of water if you need to thin out.
Pour into a kilner or other sealable jar and store in the fridge.