Leek and Potato soup

An easy and satisfying recipe for chilly days

Leek and potato soup, a simple recipe that's rich enough without cream, so it's vegan. Makes enough for four people

Timings: Prep = 10 min. Cooking = 30 min. Eating = 5 min

Ingredients

500 g floury potatoes

500 g leeks

Veggie stock (stock pot or cube)

2 garlic cloves

Half teaspoon each of chili flakes and cumin

Teaspoon each or oregano and thyme

Cooking oil (I used peanut oil)

Extras (omit to keep the recipe vegan)

Bacon lardons

Parmesan cheese

You’ll need a big saucepan and a blender.

Chop the leeks, roughly – only use the white and pale green parts. Peel then dice the potatoes and put into water.

Add a splash of oil to a large saucepan – the soup is made in this pan, so it needs to be big. I use peanut oil, because I’m like that, but vegetable or olive will be fine. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil. though. Fry the leeks over a medium heat until they start to soften and before they go brown. If they go a little brown, don’t worry.

Add crushed garlic, spices and herbs if using them – fry for about 30 seconds. Add water and stockpot to cover the ingredients. Add the potatoes and more water to cover the spuds.

Simmer for at least 20 minutes, until the potatoes are softened.

Use the blender (I bought a stick blender from Wilco years ago and use this. Well worth the £12 it cost.) to mash up the ingredients. You may need to add more water to get the viscosity right – this is a matter of preference.

Warm the soup through on a low heat. This helps thicken up the soup as starch is released from the potato particles. Meanwhile, fry the bacon lardons until they’re crispy. Grate a good pile of parmesan.

Serve soup with a sprinkle of bacon and cheese. Serve with bread; Mrs S makes excellent bread that is great with this. But we had none, so I had Warburton’s white instead.