Darina Allen's winter leek & potato soup

Darina Allen's winter leek & potato soup

Of the winter soups, leek and potato is one of the most comforting and familiar - and Darina Allen's makes the most of seasonal, local veg

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6 - 8

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 40-50 minutes

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Veggie (if you use vegetable stock)

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes, onion and leeks and toss them in the butter until they are well coated. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss again. Put a disc of greaseproof paper (called a cartouche by chefs) on top of the vegetables to keep in the steam), then cover the pan with its lid. Cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.
  2. Uncover the pan and discard the paper. Pour in 850ml/11⁄2 pints of the stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are just cooked - about 5 minutes. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh flavour.
  3. Purée in a blender until silky smooth, in batches if necessary, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Return the soup to a clean pan and stir in three quarters of the cream and all of the milk.
  4. To finish the soup, finely shred the white leek and gently cook it in the hot butter for a few minutes until it is softened but not coloured. Reheat the soup to a gentle simmer (add some extra stock at this point if the soup is too thick for your liking), then pour into warmed bowls. Drizzle the remaining cream over each serving, top with a little pile of buttered leeks and a scattering of chives and black pepper and serve at once.

Per serving for six

252 kcalories, protein 5.0g, carbohydrate 18.0g, fat 18.0 g, saturated fat 11.0g, fibre 3.0g, salt 0.7 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2003.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo nicola7764

    04 November 2008

    nicola7764 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    A very simple soup to make. Absolutely delicious. Perfect for a november evening.

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  • Binder photo MrsP

    15 November 2008

    MrsP rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Hatecookinglovegoodfood

    29 November 2008

    Hatecookinglovegoodfood rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious! We all loved this one!

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  • Binder photo Julie3007

    04 January 2009

    Julie3007 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great taste and really easy to make. Definately will be doing this again as the children loved it.

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  • Binder photo Lotty

    21 January 2009

    Lotty rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've just made this soup after reading all the good reviews, and i must say i am in agreement. It tastes lovely. When i make it next time i may try without the cream and less butter, just to keep the fat content down..if its not as good i will just revert back to the original recipe. I haven't bothered with the leek topping, as I've run out of leeks. All in all a beautiful soup, just right for this cold weather! It took me a bit longer to prepare, but i wasn't rushing, plus i cooked the veg soup longer before blending as the potatoes were still a bitey!

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  • Binder photo jackie

    02 February 2009

    jackie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I like this because of its smoothness , i dident have any cream, so i just added some semi skimmed milk and it still tasted really really nice, will be making this again .

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  • Binder photo Koran McAuliffe

    12 February 2009

    Koran McAuliffe commented on this recipe

    Definitely needs some nice hearty vegetable chunks in it, that's half the joy of a leek & potato soup.

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  • Binder photo spartacusathome

    23 February 2009

    spartacusathome rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made it for some builders and it was definitely a big hit. Although I didn't have enough white part of the leeks so used some green. Plus didn't sprinkle leeks on the top at the end. Oh and I added some worcestershire sauce. Yummy!

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  • Binder photo Rebecca

    24 February 2009

    Rebecca rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Tracy

    12 March 2009

    Tracy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum yum !! Very easy and sooooo tasty. I will never buy another tin of soup again. Made this for my son who is off school sick and he loved it (seemed to perk him up alittle too).

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  • Binder photo Tania

    17 May 2009

    Tania rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    It was YUMMY!!

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  • Binder photo Tania

    27 May 2009

    Tania commented on this recipe

    This is a very good one! And became a classic in my house! :)

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  • Binder photo Shnook

    28 September 2009

    Shnook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I found this to be a lovely, warming soup. Subtle but delicious flavours and very creamy. If you prefer a chunkier soup...don't blend over blend. Season well with pepper for a kick and it's great served with rustic bread. A great supper dish.

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  • Binder photo Anna

    20 October 2009

    Anna rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delightful! I've tried a lot of recipes and this soup is definitely a hit! I did not overblend it, so that there still were little chunks in it. The recipe is perfect as it is; on special occasions you may want to pimp it with white wine and goat's cream cheese. It is entirely recommendable!

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  • Binder photo nikk

    13 December 2009

    nikk rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Linda Rudland

    15 January 2010

    Linda Rudland rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo Francis

    01 February 2010

    Francis rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Michela

    03 March 2010

    Michela rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo julie

    11 April 2010

    julie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made this yesterday and it was so easy and quick to make and it tasted good, not to heavy as a starter,but i made it for lunch.

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  • Binder photo Aine

    11 May 2010

    Aine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lovely, nice and easy too

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6 - 8

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 40-50 minutes

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Veggie (if you use vegetable stock)

Silky smooth and creamy

Ingredients

  • 50g butter
  • 450g potatoes , peeled and cut into 1cm pieces (try Golden Wonders or Kerr Pinks)
  • 1 small onion , cut the same size as the potatoes
  • 450g white parts of leeks , sliced (save the green tops for another soup or stock)
  • 850ml-1.2litres/1.5-2pts light chicken or vegetable stock
  • 142ml carton whipping cream
  • 125ml full-fat milk

TO FINISH

  • the white part of 1 leek
  • a small knob of butter
  • finely chopped chives
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Per serving for six

252 kcalories, protein 5.0g, carbohydrate 18.0g, fat 18.0 g, saturated fat 11.0g, fibre 3.0g, salt 0.7 g

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