Today’s recipe comes from a newspaper clipping that was valued enough to be typed up, and passed down through the family. Aptly named from the magazine that it came from, it is an easy, delicious soup that makes the perfect winter meal.

I don’t remember the first time Mum made this for me, nor do I remember the last time she made it (although it was highly likely while I was in Portugal with the family for Christmas last year).

It’s hard to explain how I feel about this soup, because it evokes so much nostalgia for me. It was the soup my mum always made the minute it started to get cold. It was the soup Mum made when we were feeling sick. It was the soup Mum made when we needed a good hit of vegetables after too much Christmas dinner (and leftovers).

This soup is delicious on it’s own, absolutely. But I highly recommend getting a good loaf of French, or sourdough, bread, butter it up nicely, and dunk it into the soup. Pure, simple, bliss.

I should also point out that this soup takes 40 minutes from start to finish, so it’s a very quick and easy meal to make – especially when you have a hand-held blender, or a large food processor to complete the final stage of the soup.

As for Weight Watchers, this comes to just 2 points a serving, which obviously would increase if you have bread and butter too.

Apologies for the phone shadow. Food photography lighting in my flat is lacking. But, I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
220 grams each leeks, carrots, potatoes and onions – peeled and chopped into 2.5cm cubes
1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock (homemade or stock cube)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large pan, until bubbling but not brown.
2. Add vegetables and saute for a few minutes over high heat until sizzling.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
5. Blend with a hand-held blender, or in a food processor, but try to keep the consistency fairly thick with a few small lumps of vegetables still in. If you do need to thin it, add a little bit of milk.
6. Sprinkle chopped parsley over each serving, and enjoy with hot bread.