For best results, never cook orange juice - it gets a tinny, metallic taste. Reheating gently -as it is here - is fine.
Choose tomatoes whichhave been grown in sunny countries.

20g (3/4 oz) butter
90g (3 oz) carrots
60g (2 oz) onions, peeled
30g (1 oz) leeks
1/2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
400g (14 oz) ripe, red tomatoes, chopped
1 bouquet garni (parsley stalks, bay leaf, thyme, celery, strip carrot)
500ml (18 fl oz) vegetable stock (a cube is fine)
a pinch of sugar
60 ml (2 fl oz) double cream
2 oranges, juiced
285 ml (1/2 pint) semi-skimmed milk
salt and freshly milled pepper

For the garnish

six sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
paprika or a sweet chilli powder

Melt the butter in a saucepan, and heat until it has stopped sizzling.

Chop the carrots, onion and leeks into 4 cm (2 inch) pieces and add to the pan with the garlic. Turn to coat all in the
butter, fry and soften until sweet and lightly coloured.

Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni and stock, bring to the boil and skim. Simmer until the
vegetables are cooked, about 20 minutes.

Remove the bouquet garni. Add the sugar, then put the vegetables and stock in the blender.

Cool then liquidise with the cream and orange juice until smooth and velvety, and season.

When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently.

Warm the milk and whisk it to a foam in the cleaned-out blender.

Pour the soup into espresso cups and spoon the milk foam on top.

Decorate with a herb leaf and a dusting of paprika or chilli powder.