Potato Leek Cheddar Soup

I used to think of soup as old people food. Don’t know why. The older people in my life didn’t necessarily eat a lot of soup but the connection has always been there. Maybe it’s that at my first waitressing job we had a soup and half sandwich special that seemed to bring in groups of ladies of a certain age. Well, apparently I’m now of a certain age because I love soup. Soup and fresh bread. Soup and a half sandwich, of course. Soup with a chunk of cheese on the side. Soup with crackers. You get it. The stuff is A OK in my book.

Even better, soup has nearly magical abilities when it comes to tackling food waste because the word “soup” casts a wide net and can happily transform almost any fresh produce that’s on the edge in your fridge or pantry. In this case I had a kilo of leftover potatoes that needed using and some leeks that at one time had a purpose (which I had forgotten) so they were becoming lonely and limp in the back of the fridge. Soup to the rescue. It helps that even though it’s May on the calendar, there is still a distinctly wintery edge to the mornings. Again, soup is here to save the day.

Potatoes are the most wasted food in British households. Bread is the second but we’re already making croutons, aren’t we? Making soup is as easy as making croutons because it’s basically the same principle: cut up the things you don’t want to waste, put some seasoning on it and apply heat for some period of time. It couldn’t be easier. I don’t know why you wouldn’t but you don’t even have to eat it right away. If you make any kind of potato soup it can go straight in the freezer for you to enjoy later. Not only will short term future you benefit but so will long term future you because you’re cutting down on the amount of edible food that ends up as landfill.

This particular soup is a hug in a bowl. I like it quite thick and with lots of cheese so that’s what this recipe will give you but it’s easy to thin out if that’s your preference. You know what would also be great? Potato leek cheddar soup and croutons. You and soup. Go you food waste heros, go!

Making

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4 generous servings

45 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

One onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm slices

1 kg potatoes (whatever kind you have)

1000 ml chicken stock

200g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper

Optional ideas for garnish

Fresh green herbs

Red chili oil or hot sauce

Crispy bacon or prosciutto or lardons

Croutons

Instructions

This is a pretty easy like Sunday morning soup so things can generally babysit themselves while you’re chopping but if you’d like to mise everything before you start, chop up the ONION, GARLIC, LEEKS and POTATOES.

A note on leeks. They can be dirty little birdies. I’m sure there are other ways to get rid of the dirt that inevitably comes with them from the field but what I do is slice them up and drop them in a big bowl of cold water. When you’ve got all the slices in the bowl, swish them around like a washing machine. Change the water and then stick your finger through the slices like you’re putting on a ring. That will separate them and get most of the rest of the dirt out. If you want to be extra sure, as a last step put them in a colander and rinse clear water through. They’re worth the effort, I promise.

You really do want a stock pot for this one because you need something high sided. If you’re not sure your pot will work start by pouring the 1000ml of water into it. If you don’t have several inches of headroom it is too small. Halve the amounts of everything until it fits in your pot.

Take your pot and put it on medium heat. Add the OLIVE OIL and let it heat up. When it is warm, add the ONIONS and the GARLIC. Let them cook for about three minutes so they are just starting to soften. Then add the LEEKS and stir everything together so some of the leeks are closer to the heat. Let that all cook down for five minutes.

If you haven’t chopped everything up you can use that time to chop your POTATOES and then add them to the pot.

Pour in the CHICKEN STOCK. In my stock pot this won’t submerge everything which is why it comes out thick. If you prefer a thinner soup, start with enough water to submerge all the ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium high and put a lid on the pot. Set a timer for 15 minutes and let it simmer.

When the potatoes are cooked through, turn the heat off. If you don’t have any blending implements in your kitchen, don’t worry. You just have a rustic soup and you can put the cheddar cheese on as garnish. If you do have an immersion blender, a smoothie blender or a food processor then blend it all smooth and then put it back in the pot.

With the heat on low, add the CHEDDAR CHEESE and stir through. Give it a taste and adjust. It probably needs pepper. Maybe needs salt? If you want to lift it a bit, add a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar. Yum!

Tags:Easy Food Waste Hero