Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• salt and black pepper
• 2 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways, sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 150 ml double cream
• Natural yoghurt, to serve
• 40 g butter
• 600 g sweetcorn kernels, fresh, frozen, or drained tinned
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped, to serve

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until completely soft and silky but not coloured.
2. Stir in the crushed garlic, smoked paprika, and dried thyme. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Scatter over the plain flour and stir vigorously for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste — the mixture will look like a pale, sandy paste clinging to the leeks.
3. Gradually pour in the vegetable stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps forming. Once all the stock is incorporated, bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Add the diced potatoes to the pot, cover, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when prodded with a knife.
5. Stir in all the sweetcorn kernels and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and use a stick blender to partially blend the soup — roughly blitz about a third of it so the texture is thick and creamy but still has plenty of chunks of potato and corn.
6. Return to a low heat, pour in the double cream, and stir gently. Warm through for 3–4 minutes without letting it boil. Season generously with salt and black pepper, tasting as you go.
7. Ladle into bowls and scatter over the chopped chives. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a crack of black pepper, with warm crusty bread alongside. To batch: cool completely before decanting into freezer-safe containers; rewarm gently in a pot with a splash of milk or stock.