Liam Trotman, of Orwells, Shiplake presents this week's recipe

A winter warmer that’s bang in season... it’s my recipe for the perfect homemade and, of course, homegrown, leek and potato soup.

Use fresh leeks from your garden if you can.

5 Large Leeks
3 Large Potatoes
3 Litres of Vegetable Stock / Water
200g Unsalted Butter
Seasoning.

Separate the different parts of the leek, basically the green and white. Split down the centre and wash in cold water. Chop into small pieces and set aside separately.

Wash and peel the potatoes, cut into thin slices and set aside 

For the green tops of the leek you want to place into boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until soft, refresh into iced water to stop the cooking process.

Strain the tops and set aside for later use.

Into a large saucepan, add a small amount of oil and a knob of butter. Place in the potatoes and sweat them off over a med-high heat (cook without colour). After 3-4 minutes of cooking add the whites of the leeks to the pan and cook for a further 3-4 minutes without colouring.

When the leeks and potatoes look soft, pour over the vegetable stock just enough to cover the contents. Reduce to a medium heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Using a powerful blender, start blending up the soup but remember to add the green leek tops from earlier. When you are happy it is blended well enough, pass through a sieve until only the fibrous part of the leek are left.

Continue this process with the rest of the soup, adding the remainder of the butter and also season throughout. 

(Tip – when seasoning soups use a good quality Sea Salt and NEVER Pepper as this is a spice, unless you wish for a peppery soup.)

All that is left now is to sit back, relax and enjoy your wonderful soup with a warm Wessex Cobber Roll.