Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Quarter the tomatoes (or halve if using cherry tomatoes) and place into a roasting tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle on some ground black pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Meanwhile fry the bacon in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel, leaving behind as much of the bacon fat as possible (but don't throw the fat away).

Place the bell peppers over a ring of a gas hob. Turn onto a high heat and leave to char over the flame, turning occasionally so they are blackened all over. Leave to sit for ten minutes in a sealed ziplock bag. Remove the peppers and pierce each one with a knife to let the steam out. Whilst holding a pepper under cold, running water rub the outer blackened layer off and remove the stem + seeds.

Place the reserved bacon fat and the rest of the olive oil into the soup maker (or a large pot on the stove). Add the red onion and saute over a low heat until translucent. Add in the roasted tomatoes, chargrilled peppers, salt, vinegar and sugar. Pour in the vegetable stock and give it all a good stir (using the stir setting on the soup maker or using a wooden spoon). Leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Blend until smooth using the soup maker (or, if making in a pot, use an immersion blender). Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour into bowls and serve with the bacon, crumbled feta and chopped chives.