Strawberry Soup

After a brisk session at the Pick-Your-Own strawberry farm, my children and I found ourselves with 15 lbs of strawberries on our hands and a bit of spare time for experimentation in the kitchen. This cold dessert was the result - it's delicious and light, and perfect for a hot summer's day as you try to recover from the cramps and knee pains of low-level strawberry picking! Note that the cooking time includes 2 hours chilling.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  kg strawberry
• 30  ml water
• 125  g sugar
• 150  ml  amontillado sherry wine
• 2  teaspoons cornflour
•  fresh mint leaves

Directions

1. Wash and hull the strawberries, then set aside six of the best-looking ones.
2. Chop the remaining strawberries roughly and put them into a large saucepan with the water and sugar.
3. Over a gentle heat, stir the contents of the pan until the strawberry juices flow.
4. Raise the temperature slightly and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Mix the sherry with the cornflour (cornstarch) and stir into the strawberry mixture. Stir well, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Using a hand blender (or transferring to a food processor or liquidiser), blend the mixture.
7. Pass the soup through a sieve to remove the seeds.
8. Test the taste, adding more sugar or sherry if desired, then chill for a couple of hours.
9. To serve, pour the soup into six bowls, then decorate with the reserved strawberries (halved, quartered or sliced, according to artistic preference) and sprinkle with shredded mint leaves.