TIME TO COOK WITH GLOSSOP OUTDOOR MARKET

Today we're making Leek and Potato soup, a tasty way to warm up when it's a bit chilly like today.  This is a quick and easy soup to make and with the addition of a cheese toasty and some crispy bacon bits sprinkled on top it makes a handy light meal for those times when you don't want a large meal.

All you need for this soup are:

2 large leeks
5 - 6 large potatoes
small amount of cooking oil for frying
1 tablespoon plain flour
stock (I use Knorr cubes and water)
salt and pepper to taste.

Slice your leeks thinly, put them into the colander and rinse them well under running water as leeks can get a bit gritty during the growing process.  Peel and dice your potatoes.  Heat up the cooking oil in a large saucepan and add the leeks.  Cook over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, until they're translucent.  You don't want to brown them as this spoils the colour of the finished soup.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour and stir it well then return the pan to the heat for a minute or two until the flour has absorbed all of the oil.  Remove the pan from the heat again and slowly add the stock (the amount will depend on how thick you want your finished soup) stirring all the time so that it doesn't go lumpy.  Once the stock has all been added you can toss in the potato cubes.  Bring the pan to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Cook until the potatoes are soft.   Once the potatoes and leeks are soft remove the pan from the heat.  You are now going to need to use your food processor, "Billy blender" or a sieve in order to get a smooth soup.  If you don't have a food processor etc., you can always pass your soup through a sieve to achieve this.  It helps if you push the soup through the sieve with the back of a spoon.

Once you've got your soup to the smooth stage all you need to do is season it to taste and serve.

I like to have mine with some crispy bacon sprinkled on top and some nice crusty bread!  A sprinkle of grated cheese also goes well with leek and potato soup.

The vegetables I used in this soup were all bought from Adam Corbally on Glossop Outdoor Market and the other ingredients came from my store cupboard.