Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog about one of my favourite things.  Food!!  I love to cook and I love to eat!  I've been feeding an active sporty family for many years and know how to cater for vegetarians and food intolerances.  And in the current economic climate, food needs to be cheap, filling and packed with goodness.  So for my first offering I give you 2 different types of soup.  Leek and Potato (2 versions) and Roast Tomato and Lentil.  Both made this morning to use up bits of veg lurking in the bottom of the fridge.

Leek and Potato Soup (chunky)

2 large leeks, washed and sliced

3 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

2 litres vegetable stock

Add vegetables and stock to a large pan and bring to the boil. 

Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato is soft (depends on size of potato chunks)

Serves 4 to 6

Suitable for vegetarians/vegans but could also be made with chicken stock.  Add some chunks of cooked chicken at the end of cooking.

Leek and Potato Soup (smooth)

Following the above recipe, once the potatoes are soft use a stick blender to blitz the soup until it's smooth.  Don't over process as the potatoes can make the soup gluey!  Serve with a dollop of yoghurt/creme freche/cream.

Roast Tomato and Lentil

300g tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of dried Italian herbs

2 medium carrots, diced

50g red lentils

1 litre vegetable stock

Put tomatoes, oil and herbs in a small roasting dish and roast for 20-30  minutes or until the edges of the tomatoes are starting to crisp.

Add all the ingredients to a pan and simmer until carrots and lentils are soft (usually about 15 mins)

Using a stick blender, blitz until smooth.

Serves 2

Suitable for vegetarians/vegans

The above recipe also works well with a can of chopped tomatoes.  Just skip the roasting stage and put everything straight into a pan.

Enjoy!