Tri-Colour Roasted Pepper Soup

Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5. Halve all peppers, remove seeds and peel garlic. Place peppers cut side up in shallow baking dish. Place one garlic clove in each half and squeeze lemon juice generously over peppers. Roast for 1 hour.

Meanwhile pour vegetable stock into a 2 litre saucepan and add fennel seeds. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer.

When peppers are done, remove from oven and set aside to cool. When cool enough to touch, peel skin from peppers.

Sieve fennel seeds from stock and return to the boil. Add thyme and simmer 15 minutes, reducing amount of stock.

Cut a large slice from each pepper and dice. Set aside for garnish.

In a blender, process remaining peppers, garlic and 7 tablespoons stock just long enough to chop the peppers, but not purée them; you want to see the different colours. Pour the blended peppers into the stock and stir well. Add black pepper to taste, then add diced peppers for garnish, and enjoy. Do not boil or cook any longer as the colours will fade.