Cherry Soup

I know it may sound a little strange, but this chilled cherry soup is a brilliant dinner party or refreshing summer lunch starter, and you will be remembered for it. It has eastern European roots, where cherries feature in everything from sour chutneys to flavoured vodka.

My recipe is for six people and must be served chilled, which means straight from the fridge. That's easy because you can make it the day before and all it takes to cook is a few minutes in the microwave.

You need:

• 500g can of pitted dark cherries
• 2 tbs soft brown sugar
• 1 tbs cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened orange juice
• pinch of cinnamon
• sour cream

Put the cherries and their juice into a glass bowl or microwave dish. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the sour cream and cook on high in the microwave for 3 separate burst of 2 minutes each, stirring thoroughly between each one.

Allow to stand and cool in the microwave at the end of the cooking time, and then blend in a food processor until perfectly smooth. A hand held blender will work just as well but may take a little longer.

Strain out the pulp, which you could reserve to flavor a cake or pie, and store the soup in the fridge until completely chilled. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and place a teaspoonful of sour cream in the centre of each one.

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