Roast tomato soup: what it costs to put on the plate
Fresh tomatoes roasted for depth, tinned for body, finished with cream. Ten 300 ml portions costed from wholesale case prices dated 7 September 2026. Bread is not costed.
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Ingredients and cost, 10 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes (fresh) | £16.99 | 6000 g | 2500 g | £7.08 |
| Chopped tomatoes (tinned) | £19.99 | 17700 g | 1200 g | £1.36 |
| Onions | £6.99 | 10000 g | 600 g | £0.42 |
| Garlic | £3.49 | 1000 g | 30 g | £0.10 |
| Carrots | £6.99 | 10000 g | 200 g | £0.14 |
| Celery (head) | £13.99 | 12 each | 1 each | £1.17 |
| Vegetable oil | £8.50 | 5000 ml | 60 ml | £0.10 |
| Stock (bouillon powder) | £10.99 | 1000 g | 30 g | £0.33 |
| Double cream | £3.79 | 1000 ml | 200 ml | £0.76 |
| Unsalted butter | £31.99 | 5000 g | 50 g | £0.32 |
| Caster sugar | £2.25 | 1000 g | 15 g | £0.03 |
| White vinegar | £5.49 | 5000 ml | 20 ml | £0.02 |
| Batch total | £11.83 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 10) | £1.18 | |||
Cost per line is pack price × (amount used ÷ pack size), the same sum the tool runs. Change one pack price and every line that uses it moves.
Method
- Halve the fresh tomatoes, toss with the oil and salt, roast at 200 °C (390 °F) for 35-40 minutes until the edges catch.
- Sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the butter without colour, 10 minutes.
- Add the roasted tomatoes with their juices, the tinned tomatoes and 1 litre of stock (30 g bouillon). Simmer 25 minutes.
- Blend smooth and pass. Season, balance with the sugar and vinegar, and finish with the cream.
- Serve 300 ml a portion. Bread and butter, croutons or basil oil are not costed.
Costing notes
Fresh tomatoes are more than half the cost of a soup most people assume is nearly free; in winter, moving the ratio toward tinned halves the plate cost with little loss. Stock is costed as bouillon; vegetable trim stock costs almost nothing but takes a pan and an hour.
Where the prices came from
JJ Foodservice collection prices as shown on its public search pages on 7 September 2026 (delivery prices run about £1-2 a case higher). The site does not label VAT on most lines: raw food is zero-rated in the UK, while oil, vanilla and alcohol carry standard-rate VAT. Where JJ had no line that day, a Tesco retail price is used and marked. Your supplier's price is the one that matters: open the recipe and type it in.
- Tomatoes (fresh): Loose Tomatoes Class I 1x6kg (VEG007), 6 kg, £16.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Chopped tomatoes (tinned): JJ Chopped Tomatoes 6x2.95kg (VGT028), ex VAT, 6 x 2.95 kg, £19.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Onions: Brown Cooking Onions 1x10kg (VEG655), 10 kg, £6.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Garlic: Fresh Garlic 1x1kg (VEG784), 1 kg, £3.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Carrots: Carrots 1x10kg (VEG760), 10 kg, £6.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Celery (head): Celery 1x12 (VEG377), 12 heads, £13.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Vegetable oil: Tesco Vegetable Oil 5 Litre (list price, not the Clubcard promo), 5 L, £8.50 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Stock (bouillon powder): Gomo Chicken Bouillon 1x1kg (MIS111); no dedicated beef bouillon listed that day, 1 kg, £10.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Double cream: Meadowland Double Cream 1x1L (CRE039), 1 L, £3.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Unsalted butter: Lakeland Unsalted Butter 20x250g (DAI186), 20 x 250 g, £31.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Caster sugar: Silver Spoon Caster Sugar 1kg, 1 kg, £2.25 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- White vinegar: Golden Mountain Distilled White Vinegar 1x5L (SAU896), 5 L, £5.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07