Leek and potato soup

This delicious, healthy soup is easy and cheap to make. It is very tasty, and keeps very well in the fridge (if anything the flavor improves after a day or two). It can also be served chilled as a Vichyssoise

Quantities do not need to be exact, but as a general rule if you are using a 2 litre saucepan you should almost half fill it with vegetables, and then almost fill it with water (ie the soup should be roughly half vegetables, to get the right consistency).

As a variation, you could substitute swede for some of the potato. Slice the swede a little thinner than the potato, as it takes longer to cook.

Method

1. Rough chop the leeks, celery and onions, and soften in a little oil or butter, in a 2 litre saucepan.

2. Crush and fine chop the garlic, and add it to the pan, frying gently for a couple more minutes.

3. Peel and slice the potatoes into about 1cm slices. Add to the pan and top up with boiling water.

4. Add the bay leaves, and about 1 tsp of dried thyme (or to taste), or some chopped fresh thyme. Season with a little salt and black pepper. You will need to correct the seasoning later, after blending.

5. Bring back to the boil, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked (about 20 min).

6. Take the bay leaves out, you don't want to blend them it could ruin the soup. Blend the soup using a hand blender or liquidiser until it is thoroughly blended. At this stage you will need to taste and add more salt if necessary.

7. Add a dash of cream, and slowly bring the soup back to simmering point (don't let it boil, cream doesn't like being boiled). Serve.

This soup is delicious as it is, or served topped with crispy croutons or grated parmesan cheese. Or both.

Traditionally, the chilled version, Vichyssoise, uses parsley instead of thyme. It doesn't really matter, you can use whichever you prefer in the hot or cold version.

This recipe is for 2 litres (8 servings).