Traditional tomato sauce

Is there anything better in this world then a real homemade tomato sauce? I doubt it.

It all started when I decided that I was no longer content with the sauces in the supermarket, or even a homemade quick tomato sauce. So off I went to my local farm shop (more about that later, oh how I adore real farm shops) and got myself some big, red beefsteak tomatoes.

You will need about 7-9 big ripe tomatoes, a rather large pan and a day to keep an eye on your sauce.

Pour a little olive oil in your pan and heat slightly.

Place your tomatoes in the pan, and put on a very low heat. Cover half way and now leave them for about an hour. When you return, start to very gently push your tomatoes down with a spoon and leave once more. They will still be quite stiff right now, so don't force them to disintegrate. You want them to turn into sauce in their own sweet time.

Keep checking your tomatoes about once every 45 minutes and again, make sure the heat is very low so they do not burn. Keep dunking them on the head slightly with the spoon so they start to cook inside. Now take them out one by one and place on a non-absorbent board (you don't want to lose any of the wonderful juice). Peel the skins off which should be slightly cracked by now. If not possible, place back in the pan and return after a while to try again. I usually burn my fingers slightly here but no pain, no gain!

Keep and eye on your sauce and keep slowly pushing the tomatoes down until they disintegrate by themselves. Once it resembles sauce, make sure to check every 30 minutes because it will be wanting to burn at a moments notice. Continue this for about 6 hours.

Now you don't have to do this, but I find a little sugar and some sea salt really bring out the flavour in the tomatoes. About a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt should do it. Throw in a little freshly ground pepper for good measure.

At around the 8 hour mark you should have a lush tomato sauce. To finish add some fresh chopped herbs (parsley, basil or oregano works remarkably well).

If you're a garlic fiend like me, slice a couple of cloves very finely. Grab a separate pan, pour a little olive oil in and heat to medium. Put your garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds or until the smell is intoxicating, but not burnt! Add this to your sauce and allow to cool fully before popping in the fridge or using.