A few years ago, the Nightshelter produced a cookery book called ‘The Good Scoff’. It was created to help our residents to learn the basic skills needed to make a selection of simple but tasty recipes which they could cook when eventually living independently. Budget and nutrition were key factors in the recipes and each resident was given a copy when they moved on into their own accommodation.
The book proved such a hit that we ended up printing enough copies to sell them to the public to raise funds for the Nightshelter. We would like to share some recipes from the book as inspiration at a time when everyone is doing a lot of cooking from home with simple ingredients and tighter budgets. First up, we feature a comforting Leek and Potato Soup.
Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 leeks, washed and sliced
25g (1 tbsp) butter or veg oil
600ml (1 pint or 2 small mugs) chicken or veg stock
300ml (1/2 pint or 1 small mug) milk
Salt, black pepper and mixed herbs
Method
1. Melt butter in a saucepan, add leeks and potatoes. Stir thoroughly, cover pan and ‘sweat’ veg on low for 1o minutes.
2. Add stock and milk and simmer for another 10 minutes. Don’t boil.
3. Whizz with a blender or mash with a potato masher if you don’t have a blender.
4. Serve and enjoy.
Note: You could try adding ham or bacon to the soup if you have any in the fridge.
