The perfect tomato & courgette gratin

If, like me, you are deluged by a glut of both tomatoes and courgettes, here is a neat way of using both, not to mention stale bread.

For two:

1lb tomatoes

¾lb small courgettes

Stale loaf

½lb grated Cheddar cheese

Herbs for strewing

Cut the courgettes in discs and leave strewn with salt for 30 minutes. Peel the tomatoes (pour boiling water over them and leave for four seconds) and slice. Cut bread into half-inch dice and fry in butter until beginning to crisp. Butter the bottom of a gratin dish and put in a layer of courgettes (drained and dried). Add a decent layer of tomatoes and scant salt and black pepper. Make a final layer of the fried croutons and scatter cheese over the top. Cook in a medium hot oven for 30?40 minutes until crisp and molten on top. One recipe suggests making more than one layer of each vegetable and the croutons, but I find it tends to get soggy. Strew with herbs basil, chives or parsley.