A family winter warmer.

Yes I know it’s only February and the temperatures here in Sydney are still around 30 degrees celsius. It’s too hot right now to serve soup for dinner. But soon the nights will start to cool off making it perfect soup weather. My favourite soup of all time is the humble leek & potato soup. So simple to make with very few ingredients needed.

I grew up on leek & potato soup. But not made from scratch. My mum preferred to use Maggi soup mix as the base but add diced potatoes in to bulk it out and give the soup some texture. I thought this was the best soup… until I tried it when made fresh ingredients. That then took this soup to a whole new level.

The first time I tried this soup made from scratch was at my best friend’s apartment in London. I was visiting her back in 2000 over the Christmas holidays. It was freezing cold outside. As we spent our days sightseeing, it left little time at night to get dinner together. She made leek & potato soup and it was truly heavenly. Creamy, hearty and warming. I remember sitting down on the couch in her apartment devouring this soup with a slice of warm crusty bread to sop up all the goodness.

During winter, I would often make a big pot of leek & potato soup. The best part is I can whip this together in 30min. That’s why it’s my go-to meal for those days I work a bit later than normal during the winter months.

Freezing Leftovers.

If you have any leftovers, you can easily freeze it. I don’t often get a chance to freeze this soup myself but it will happily last in the freezer for up to 6 months. Because the potato is pureed and not in chunks, it won’t get that horrible grainy texture.

Leek & Potato Soup

Leek & potato soup is our family favourite over the cooler months. So simple to make with just a handful of ingredients. I prefer to add bacon that's sprinkled on top to give this soup texture and a nice subtle flavour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

 

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 leeks, washed and sliced into 1cm rounds, white and light green sections only
• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and coursely chopped
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 500 ml water
• 250 ml cream
• 200 g bacon, finely diced

Instructions

 

• Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and toss to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Add the potato, stock and water to the pan. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
• Using a stick blender, blend until soup is completely smooth.
• Place the soup back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the cream and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until heated through.
• In a small frying pan on high heat add diced bacon. Cook until bacon starts to colour. Cook for longer if you want your diced bacon to be crunchy.
• Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with bacon on top before serving. Accompany soup with warm crusty bread or bread rolls.

Notes

• The bacon is optional and you can omit this if not available.
• Sprinkle with either finely chopped chives or parsley instead.