Serves 4
This soup or jus is ideal when you have a glut of ripe strawberries. Either serve it on its own as a pre-dessert, or top it with ice-cream or champagne sorbet. Ideal for a Wimbledon party.

1kg hulled strawberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
3 fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp icing sugar
Coarsely ground black pepper

1 Set aside a third of the strawberries, selecting the firmest, most attractive fruit.
2 Thickly slice the remaining fruit and place in a large bowl with the sugar, vanilla bean and mint. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook for 30 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours to chill.
3 Thirty minutes before serving, pour the strawberries into a sieve over a large bowl. Allow the strawberry juice to drip through, but don’t attempt to rub the pulp.
4 Meanwhile, place the reserved strawberries in a bowl and sift the icing sugar over them. Leave so that the juice
is released from the fruit.
5 Chill four soup bowls, then divide the strawberries between them. Season with a little pepper, then pour the strawberry jus around the fruit. Top with ice-cream or sorbet and serve immediately.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue