Leek, Potato and Blue Cheese Soup

Serves 4-6

25g (1oz) butter

2 leeks (about 300g/12ozs), dark green tops removed, white bits thinly sliced

2 potatoes (about 175g/6ozs), peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 litre (1¾ pints) light vegetable or chicken stock

75ml (3fl ozs) single cream

100-150g (4-5ozs) blue cheese, such as Cashel Blue, Stilton, Gorgonzola or Roquefort crumbled, plus 25g (1oz) for serving.

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan, add the leeks, potatoes and bay leaves. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover. Turn the heat to low and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure they don’t burn. After 10 minutes, add the stock, increase the heat and simmer for a further eight to 10 minutes until the potatoes and leeks are soft. Remove the bay leaves, add the cream and the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to a liquidiser. Whiz the soup until it is smooth and velvety. Return to the saucepan to re-heat, tasting and seasoning if necessary.

To Serve: Pour into warm bowls and sprinkle with extra crumbled blue cheese.

Rachel’s Tips: nIf making this soup with a strong blue cheese like Roquefort or Gorgonzola, I only add 100g (4ozs), but if you are using a milder blue cheese like Cashel Blue, you might need 125-150g (4½ — 5ozs).

When sweating onions or other vegetables for a long time, I like to cover them with a butter wrapper or a piece of greaseproof paper as well as the saucepan lid. This helps to retain the moisture and makes sure they don’t burn.