Super spuds

The humble potato can be used to make all kinds of warming recipes, says Marco Pierre White

It’s hard to imagine anything more comforting than leek and potato soup. In the

school holidays when I was very young, I used to help out from time to time on a farm, picking potatoes to earn a bit of pocket money. I remember to this day being amazed when I pulled my first potato out of the soft earth. Few foods are as versatile as the spud,

and it’s worth remembering that they came in pretty handy during the Second World War, when the Ministry of Food encouraged everyone to eat more of them and less white bread. I know this because there’s an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London all about how families made the most of

RECIPES FROM THE YEW TREE INN

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

(6 people)

900ml chicken stock 900ml water 750g leeks, mainly white parts, finely sliced 350g potatoes, finely sliced 350g onions, finely sliced 200ml double cream (optional)

Sea salt and white pepper

1. Bring the stock and water to the boil. Sweat the leeks and onions in the butter in a large, deep pan until they are soft, but don’t allow them to colour. Add the finely sliced raw potato and the boiling stock and water. Cook over a fast heat for ten minutes. 2. Add the cream and cook for a further two mins.

Liquidise, then pass through a fine sieve. Season to taste. 3. To serve, put the sieved soup in warmed serving bowls.

marco’s magic

Garnish with a sprinkling of finely cut chives. It’ll look good and add taste.

wartime rations. Everyone should try to see it (the exhibition runs until December 31) because there are lessons to be learned today from what happened in 1939–45. Growing your own, eating seasonal fruit

and vegetables, cutting down on foods brought in from overseas, recycling and generally “making do” are all things we strive for in these difficult economic times. During the war, housewives did just that as the “Dig for Victory” campaign went from strength to strength.

This soup is about as wholesome as

you can get. I like to add cream—but that’s my guilty secret. Leave it out if you prefer. But don’t forget some crunchy bread to go with it.

Marco Pierre White is donating his fee for this column to Macmillan Cancer Support.

food

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