I am pretty lazy in the kitchen.

I may love to cook but I am not a fan of fiddling for hours prepping food which could be made much faster if you just loosen up a little. If I am having guests or trying to make something traditional, sure – I will do the time needed but if it’s just a quick family meal I will gladly go for the ‘rustic’ option. Aside from being quicker it also has more fibre and texture.

So that’s how my rustic gazpacho recipe came about. FYI, I only just came up with that name - ‘rustic’ gazpacho - it gives my laziness as certain provincial charm, I think.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gazpacho, I think it is safe to say that it can be challenging if you are not familiar with cold soups but once you get over the initial desire to microwave it for a few minutes and allow yourself to be enveloped by its chilled, tangy, crisp fullness it can become something of an addiction after a while.

Beyond liking it, I love it, especially on scorching summer days where being in a hot kitchen cooking is just not an option. If making it my way, you can whip up a massive pot of in just 10 minutes.

In the recipe below I am going to give you my version. For a more traditional version peel and seed the tomatoes and the cucumber, and use white bread.

Gazpacho

Makes about 2 litres

500g of ripe tomatoes, quartered

¼ of a cucumber, cut into chunks

½ a red, yellow or orange pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

1 clove of garlic, peeled

¼ of a small onion

4 slices of brown or whole wheat bread

750ml of vegetable stock

¼ of a cup of olive oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp of salt (my recommendation)

Milled black pepper to taste

A pinch of cumin

1 cup of ice cubes

5 fresh basil leaves (optional)

For garnish if using

Cubed cucumber

Cubed bell pepper

Brown or whole wheat bread croutons

Drizzle of olive oil

Blend all the ingredients together and check the seasoning. Refrigerate and serve chilled. For a colourful and crunchy finish serve with croutons and some of the ingredients like cucumber and peppers diced up.

For perfect croutons pre heat the oven on grill. Cube up the bread and toss in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and some salt and/or seasoning of choice. Spread on a baking sheet and grill until crisp. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn easily.