Raymond Blanc makes a tasty looking stuffed tomatoes starter on Raymond Blanc Kitchen Secrets.

Raymond’s ingredients for the tomato sauce to go with the peppers are: 80-100ml/3-3½fl oz olive oil, 1 white onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, crushed and sliced, 2 tbsp tomato purée (if the tomatoes are not very ripe), 1kg/2lb 3oz ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, 4 pinches salt, 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper, 3 pinches sugar (optional) and 3 fresh basil leaves.

To prepare the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and gently fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.

Stir in the tomato purée, if using, and cook for one minute before adding the chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for a further 20 minutes. Taste again and correct the seasoning if needed, adding the sugar if necessary. Stir in the basil.

Pass the sauce through a mouli or fine sieve into a pan and set aside until needed.

The ingredients for the stuffed tomatoes are: 4 x 200g ripe tomatoes, 200g minced pork, 60g fresh breadcrumbs, 1 free-range egg yolk, 1 small shallot, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, 1 sprig fresh tarragon, leaves picked, roughly chopped, 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling, 60g Comté cheese, and salt and freshly ground black pepper.