Personally I'd go for as many plants as you think you can care for / have room for.
Frozen tomatoes are great for making soup, adding to stews etc.
Any green ones at the end of the fruiting season make delicious chutney.

I grow on 9 plants, 3 of each: cherry toms, salad toms and a mini plum tom.
We do freeze a lot and use them instead of tinned and make lots of soup. Sometimes I add a red pepper or chirizo or red lentils or a combination of them. my daughter adds parsnips too.

green ones will ripen slowly on a windowsill well into late October, then I fry them or make a green tomato pie [tastes almost like apple pie. Sweet rather than savoury.

I like to grow about 6 plants for two of us. I choose different varieties, and I also grow the small 'cherry' ones for a hanging basket or pot. (I eat all those myself because B doesn't like them lol) but we share the big ones.
Roma variety is nice - they are the same shape as tinned tomatoes. I grew a nice yellow variety last year but I can't remember the name.

Cecelia - There's nothing better than going out in the morning and eating a few right off the vine. Tomorrow, a new crop will be ready for you. Fry some up with bacon & eggs in the morning, a dash of salt & pepper. How many is too many? If you choose 'Sungold' they are large rambling vines that grow and grow forever - producing large clusters as they go. Other varieties don't produce as much. At least 3 or 4 plants in case one gets stricken, you'll have the others to fall back on. Keep them very spaced out. You don't want to be without altogether. Never. lol.

Much the same as others. About 10 plants in the greenhouse. Shirley does well but last year I grew 5 Country Taste which is a beefsteak variety and they went down very well when sliced in a sandwich with cheese or ham or cut in half and roasted as an extra vegetable.

Thanks everyone I have never frozen toms or made top soup but I am definitely going to have a go. I can't wait for spring to start planting and growing. Thanks Cecelia

You should talk to Amy. She has what looks like a good recipe for tomato soup. Here is her posting -

https://www.growsonyou.com/photo/slideshow/341100-tomato-soup-from-pauls-cherokee-tomatos/member/amy2

A poster in another thread suggested 'Costoluto Florentino' as the best tom he'd grown. It's an Italian heritage variety, medium sized beefsteak good for slicing & sauces. I'm going with those this year as I think with the moderate effort needed for tomatoes I might as well go with something special?
As I've previously had success growing two plants per grow bag against a S. facing wall, I'm going to add a cherry type with each. I put the grow bags on their ends by the way, rather than laid flats.
Totally agree with growing as many as you can manage!

Thank you all, I have asked Amy for her recipe and think the idea for turning grow bags on their side is a simple but great Idea. I will try a variety of toms and see what happens. Happy Gardening Cecelia

You know me to well Paul Lol who could fail to make good soup with your fabulous tomatoes , the recipe is on your PM page Cecelia ...

Hi Amy. You're making me blush. I'm glad I'm over here for once. Thank You! lol