John Footman is Executive Chef at Summertown’s new restaurant The Oxford Kitchen. John traces his love of cooking with fresh quality produce to his childhood and the imaginative home grown food cooked by his family. This passion for fresh produce continued to inspire his work at leading UK food establishments Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Mallory Court, and more locally at The Nut Tree in Murcott, where his work as Head Chef helped achieve a Michelin Star.

TOMATO GAZPACHO

Oxford Mail:

Ingredients

* 1.3kg of ripe roma plum tomatoes
* 300g cucumber
* 1kg red peppers
* 66g white onion
* 2g fine garlic
* 4 leaves of basil

Marinade
* 12g table salt
* 25g caster sugar
* pinch cayenne pepper

To Finish
* 50g extra virgin olive oil
* 30g Jerez sherry vinegar

Method

1. Take your plum tomatoes slice in to quarters and halve them again
2. Peal the cucumber, cut in half length ways, then slice into 2mm slices
3. Peel, de-seed then chop the red peppers in 2cm dice
4. Peel and thinly slice the white onion
5. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and rip the basil leaves into small pieces
6. Place all these ingredients in a mixing bowl
7. Add to this the marinade and mix well, cling film the bowl and place in a refrigerator for 12 hours
8. After 12 hours, place ingredients into a liquidiser or blender, then blend for 1-2 minutes until you have a smooth soup
9. Then pass liquid through a fine sieve
10. Finish by whisking in the olive oil and sherry vinegar, chill in your refrigerator until required Best served with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil and seeded bread from Gatineau bakery in Summertown