This chilled soup is the ultimate cool customer for summer

I

can’t make gazpacho without thinking of Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you do, and not just for the iconic spiked gazpacho scene. This version is also spiked, but more tamely with watermelon, which lends a wonderful sweetness. You can go as simple or as extra as you like with the toppings: I, of course, like to go extra with cherry tomatoes of varying colours, ice cubes, micro basil, finely cubed cucumber and a swirl of my best extra-virgin olive oil to finish.

Green pepper haters, you really must include a quarter of one here – it adds the necessary slight bitterness to offset the sweet tomatoes and watermelon.

Prep 20 min