• 600 g(1 lb5 oz/7 or 8 small) zucchini (courgettes)
• 600 g(1 lb5 oz/about 3 or 4) carrots, peeled
• 800 g(1 lb12 oz/about 6) tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 leafy celery stalk, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 thyme sprigs

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Trim the zucchini and slice them diagonally into chunks of about 3 cm(1¼ inches): slice once in one direction, and then in the other direction, and so on. Put them in a large baking dish. Slice the carrots diagonally in one direction to give longish strips about 3 mm(⅛ inch) thick. Add to the dish. Cut the tomatoes into wedges (six or eight depending on the size of the tomato) from top to bottom. Put in the dish and add the garlic, celery, parsley and oil. Season quite generously with salt and pepper, roll up your sleeves and mix everything through with your hands. I love doing this, and so do my kids, but you can use a large spoon if you prefer. Bury the thyme sprigs underneath and put the dish in the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, turning the vegetables over once in this time.

Turn the vegetables again, lower the heat to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and cook for another 1¼ hours, or until the vegetables are golden roasted and moist and the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and carrots have come into being. Turn the vegetables once or twice more during this time, trying not to mash things up, but the tomatoes will invariably be melting and losing their shape. There should be very little liquid left, so you may have to add a few drops of water. Serve hot, or at room temperature.