A warming leek and potato soup for autumn days

Despite the blue skies and warm glow from the sun, there was definitely a chill in the air this weekend; a sure sign that autumn is on its way early this year. The nights have started to draw in earlier and when I woke up this morning at 6am the darkness sat like a blanket over the moor. We very nearly got the fire going on Sunday night and that prompted me to make some warming dishes to help lift our spirits.

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love wrapping up in woolly jumpers and snuggling down on the sofa of a Sunday evening with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and a BBC costume drama. I love watching the leaves change colour, from vibrant greens to the more burnished tones of autumn, and I love going for walks when it’s cold and crisp outside and I can come home to a big log fire and a proper hearty dinner.

Halloween and fireworks night are probably my favourite events of the year- there’s something magical about gathering outside with friends to watch the crackle and sparkle of fireworks, swaddled in hats scarves and boots, or the smell of a pumpkin as the tea light singes the moist flesh of the jack-o-lantern lid.

In tribute to the coming of my favourite season, I decided that soup was just the thing I needed for lunch this week. My mums’ tried and tested leek and potato recipe did just the trick…

Ingredients
Serves 4 people for dinner or makes 5-6 work-sized lunches (see photo)

• Three large leeks
• 3-4 large baking potatoes- any kind
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2.5 pints chicken or veg stock (I use 2 stock cubes)

To serve

• Handful of grated cheddar cheese
• Crusty bread and lots of butter (real butter, no spreads please!)

Method

1. In a large saucepan heat the olive gently
2. Prepare the leeks by chopping off the root and all of the green leaf end to leave the white part- leeks can be very muddy so I find that chopping off the leaf end down to the first split in the outer leaf is a good guide for how much to remove. Make a shallow slit down the length of the outer leaf and remove just one layer to get rid of any grit. Rinse and chop into rough rounds.

3. Chop the potatoes roughly- don’t bother to peel them (its going to be liquidized no-one will know) just scrub well
4. Add the leeks to the pan and sweat gently over a low heat for 5 mins until slightly softened
5. Add the potatoes and the stock, cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 mins.
6. After this time remove the pan from the heat and liquidize the soup- I do this using a little hand blender but you can use a regular blender or a food processor. Just remember that the soup will be hot so cover the lid with a tea towel if you go for the latter options.
7. Taste the soup and season well with black pepper, serve with the grated cheddar on top and big hunks of liberally buttered bread.