This creamy tomato soup is a roasted cherry tomato soup for two, made with garlic and Ballymaloe relish, blitzed smooth with water, stirred through with natural yoghurt and topped with slices of baguette brushed with more relish and covered in grated gruyère. Everything roasts and bakes in one dish. The tomatoes and whole garlic cloves roast until soft and jammy, the soup is blended and poured back into the same dish, and the cheesy baguette goes on top and returns to the oven until the bread is golden and the silky soup bubbles up around the edges. It is sweet, savoury, lightly spiced and properly comforting, and it takes about 40 minutes with very little effort.

Why I Created This Recipe

I am slightly ashamed to admit this, but I am not a soup girl. As someone who counts down the days until summer ends and autumn begins, who wants to live in oversized jumpers and whose favourite weather is rain, I fully accept that this feels wrong. Soup should be my natural habitat. And yet, for the most part, it just has not been.

But I make an exception for this one. It might be the sweet cherry tomatoes roasted with Ballymaloe relish, which deepens their flavour and adds a subtle spice. It might be the creamy yoghurt stirred through, which makes the soup velvety. Or it might be the crusty baguette brushed with more relish, covered in nutty gruyère and baked until the soup bubbles up around the golden, cheesy bread. Whichever it is, this soup might just have made me a soup girl.

I am not especially happy to admit my faults, but on this occasion I can see that not being a soup girl was one of them. Don’t make my mistake. Make this soup.

What Is Ballymaloe Relish?

Ballymaloe Relish is an Irish condiment produced by Ballymaloe Foods, made to a recipe developed at the famous Ballymaloe House in County Cork (the same Ballymaloe of Ballymaloe Cookery School, where I trained!). It is a rich, sweet and lightly spiced tomato relish with a smooth, almost jammy consistency, somewhere between a ketchup and a chutney, but with a more complex, rounded flavour than either. It contains tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, onions and a blend of spices, and its gentle warmth and sweetness make it one of the most versatile condiments in the kitchen.

It is widely available in UK supermarkets, usually in the condiments aisle alongside other relishes and chutneys. In this recipe it does double duty: half roasts with the tomatoes, where it enhances their natural sweetness and adds depth and a little spice, and half is spread over the baguette, where it caramelises under the cheese.

You may also recognise it from the sticky salmon traybake, where it forms the base of the roasting marinade. If you cannot find it, a good quality sweet chilli jam or spiced tomato chutney makes a reasonable substitute, though the original is worth seeking out.

Why Roast the Tomatoes First?

Roasting is what turns a perfectly good tomato soup into a great one. Cherry tomatoes are naturally sweet, and 20 minutes at 200°C concentrates that sweetness by driving off some of their water. The sugars caramelise slightly at the edges, and the flavour deepens into something richer and more rounded than a tomato simmered in a pan.

The Ballymaloe relish roasts alongside them and coats the tomatoes in a sticky, spiced glaze that melts into the soup when it is blended. The whole garlic cloves roast in the same dish and soften into something mellow and sweet rather than sharp. Because they are blitzed into the soup, they add body and depth without any raw garlic bite.

Roasting also means there is no need for an onion, stock or a long simmer. The tomatoes, relish and garlic carry the flavour, and the water and yoghurt are all the liquid the soup needs.

Why You’ll Want to Make This Recipe

Roasted Tomato Flavour With Minimal Effort

Everything roasts together in one dish, then gets blended and returned to the same dish. There is no chopping, no frying and no stock to make. The oven does the work.

A Soup With a Crunchy, Cheesy Lid

The baguette slices, brushed with relish and covered in gruyère, bake until golden on top while the soup beneath stays silky and bubbling. Every spoonful has a bit of crisp, cheesy bread dunked into the creamy soup.

The Yoghurt Makes It Velvety

Just two tablespoons of natural yoghurt, stirred in after blending, make the soup noticeably smoother and creamier. The soup tastes rich without any cream, with a gentle tang that balances the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes.

One Dish, Serves Two

It serves two generously, which makes it ideal for a cosy dinner for two or for cooking once and having a second bowl the next day. The roasting dish doubles as the serving dish, so there is very little washing up.

My Top Tips for the Perfect Creamy Tomato Soup

• Use a shallow casserole dish around 26cm in diameter. The tomatoes need space to roast rather than steam, and the same dish needs to hold the soup and the baguette slices at the end. A wide, shallow dish also means the baguette sits on top of the soup rather than sinking into it.
• Peel the garlic cloves but roast them whole. They soften into sweet, mellow paste in the time it takes the tomatoes to roast. Tuck them in among the tomatoes and toss in the oil so they do not catch and burn on the surface.
• Season the tomatoes generously with salt and black pepper before they go in the oven. Roasted tomatoes can handle more seasoning than you might expect, and it is easier to season at this stage than to correct the finished soup.
• Roast until the tomatoes are completely soft and starting to collapse, with slightly caramelised edges. If any are still firm after 20 minutes, give them another five. The softer they are, the smoother the finished soup.
• Let the roasted tomatoes cool for a few minutes before blending. Hot liquid in a blender builds up steam and can push the lid off. Fill the jug no more than half full, remove the centre cap from the lid and cover the opening with a folded tea towel (dish towel). If your blender is small, blend in two batches.
• Blend until completely smooth. The garlic and tomato skins break down fully if you give them a good minute or so, giving a silky, velvety soup.
• Stir the yoghurt in once the soup is back in the dish and off the heat. Adding it after blending keeps it smooth and creamy. Stir gently but thoroughly so no streaks remain.
• Use baguette that is a day or two old if you can. Slightly stale bread is firmer and stays on top of the soup instead of sinking into it. If your baguette is very fresh, pop the slices in the oven for five minutes before spreading.
• Cut the baguette into slices about 2cm thick. Too thin and they will sink and go soggy. Too thick and they will take longer to crisp up than the cheese takes to melt.
• Spread the relish right to the edges of the baguette slices so each one is fully coated. It caramelises as it bakes and gives a sticky, sweet and slightly spiced layer under the cheese.
• Grate the gruyère yourself rather than buying it pre-grated. Freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly, and pre-grated cheese often contains anti-caking agents that stop it melting properly.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the baguette is deeply golden at the edges, usually 10 to 15 minutes. For extra colour, finish under a hot grill (broiler) for the last minute or two, watching carefully.
• Serve straight from the oven. The soup is at its best while the cheese is still molten and the bread is crisp on top.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

For the Soup

• Extra virgin olive oil – for drizzling over the tomatoes before roasting
• 400g cherry tomatoes – ripe, sweet and left whole; cherry tomatoes give the sweetest, most intense result
• 2 tbsp Ballymaloe relish – roasted with the tomatoes to add depth, sweetness and a little spice
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled – roasted whole until soft and sweet
• 400ml water – added when blending; the roasted tomatoes and relish carry all the flavour
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt – stirred through after blending for a velvety, creamy finish
• Salt and black pepper – season generously before roasting

For the Cheesy Baguette Topping

• 6–8 slices of baguette – cut about 2cm thick; slightly stale is ideal
• 2 tbsp Ballymaloe relish – spread over the baguette slices before they go on the soup
• 60g gruyère, grated – nutty, savoury and a brilliant melter

Essential Tools

• 1 shallow casserole dish, about 26cm in diameter – must be ovenproof and large enough to hold the soup and baguette slices
• Blender or stick blender
• Spoon or spatula – for stirring in the yoghurt
• Box grater – for the gruyère
• Bread knife – for slicing the baguette

Storage & Leftovers

Storing the Soup

If you have leftover soup, let it cool, then store it without the baguette topping in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. The baguette is best made fresh.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a pan over a medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until piping hot. Add a small splash of water if it has thickened. For a cheesy lid, top with fresh baguette slices, relish and gruyère, and bake as per the recipe.

Freezing

The soup freezes well without the yoghurt and baguette. Freeze for up to three months and defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the hob and stir through fresh yoghurt before serving.

Dietary Variations

Vegetarian

The soup is vegetarian as written, with one caveat: traditional gruyère is made with animal rennet. If you are cooking for vegetarians, look for a vegetarian-friendly gruyère or substitute with a cheese made with vegetarian rennet, such as a mature cheddar.

Gluten-Free

Use a gluten-free baguette or gluten-free bread slices, and check your Ballymaloe relish label if you are strictly gluten-free.

Dairy-Free / Vegan

Replace the yoghurt with an unsweetened plant-based yoghurt, such as coconut or soya, and use a dairy-free cheese that melts well. Check that your chosen baguette is dairy-free.

Different Cheeses

Gruyère is nutty, savoury and melts beautifully, but this topping works with other cheeses too. Mature cheddar gives a sharper flavour, Comté is a close relative of gruyère, and mozzarella gives a milder, stringier melt. A combination of cheddar and mozzarella is excellent.

Adding Heat

For a spicier soup, add a pinch of chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) to the tomatoes before roasting, or finish with a drizzle of chilli oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of tomato?

Yes, but cherry tomatoes are recommended for their natural sweetness. If using larger tomatoes, such as vine or plum, quarter them before roasting and add another five minutes to the roasting time. Tinned tomatoes can also be used in a pinch, but you will miss out on the sweetness that comes from roasting.

Can I make the soup ahead of time?

Yes. Make the soup up to the point of stirring in the yoghurt, cool it and keep it in the fridge for up to two days. When ready to eat, reheat it gently in the dish, stir in the yoghurt, then top with the baguette and cheese and bake until golden and bubbling.

Do I have to use Ballymaloe relish?

It gives the soup its distinctive sweet, spiced depth, but a sweet chilli jam or a spiced tomato chutney will work as a substitute. Taste as you go, as different products vary in sweetness and heat.

Why is my soup not smooth?

The most likely cause is under-blending or a blender that is not powerful enough to break down the tomato skins. Blend for longer, in batches if needed, and for an extra silky finish pass the soup through a fine sieve before returning it to the dish.

How do I stop the baguette from going soggy?

Use slightly stale baguette, slice it about 2cm thick and spread the relish over the top rather than soaking it into the bread. Placing the slices on top of the soup rather than pushing them down means only the underside soaks up the soup. The top stays crisp and golden.

Can I serve this as a starter?

Yes. Served in smaller portions, it makes a lovely starter for four. For a dinner for two, it works as a main course with a simple green salad alongside.