How to turn a glut of ripe tomatoes into a classic chilled soup

‘Wait until tomatoes are in glut, economical, ripe and epically delicious’ and then make Tom Hunt's gazpacho. Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian

I can’t think of a better use for properly ripe tomatoes than a refreshing and elegant chilled bowl of gazpacho. It’s also a great way to use up stale bread (I tend to opt for wholemeal, but any will do). I like to remove the cucumber peelings and dark green spring onion tops to preserve the soup’s vibrant red colour, but nothing goes to waste: the offcuts go into a beautiful and flavoursome garnish, along with croutons and olives.

Gazpacho