Strawberry Soup

Don’t be put off, it isn’t as strange as it sounds! This soup is a creamy summer starter that has been known to convert people who swore they hated cold soups, let alone the fact that it's guaranteed to turn those 'Eew, strawberry SOUP?' comments into surprised and agreeable slurping...

Ingredients

• 600g strawberries, sliced
• 200g sugar
• 125ml water
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 200ml rose water
• 250ml fresh orange juice
• 275ml sour cream
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 50ml fresh cream

Combine the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Mix a little water with the cornflour until it is just runny, then add this, the rose water and the orange juice to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until it has thickened somewhat. Remove from the heat, and cool for 15 minutes, then blend thoroughly. Stir in the sour cream, then chill the soup. Serve with the chopped mint stirred in, or sprinkled on top as decoration. Place a twist of the fresh cream in each bowl before serving.