LEEKS have a variety of uses, notably soup, such as leek and potato. Two of our most popular consist of leeks, but both are made in a different style, one with fish, the other with blue cheese.

First, a simple way of slow cooking young baby leeks.

In medium-sized heavy- based saucepan, heat a little olive oil and add about 800g (to serve 4/6 people as a main course vegetable) of washed and trimmed baby leeks. Cook gently for about five mins until lightly coloured. Add three very finely sliced garlic cloves, good pinch of salt, juice of one lemon, 300ml of water and two teaspoons of caster sugar, the sugar and lemon. Cover with greaseproof paper and slow cook for about 15 mins or until leeks are just tender. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill and salt and pepper. This way of cooking vegetables avoids just boiling them in plain water, retaining maximum flavour. Vegetables cooked this way great with fresh grilled fish, especially plaice and lemon sole.

To make leek and rosemary soup with strong blue cheese, trim outer dark green leaves from six leeks, then separate light green tops from the more tender white part.

Whizz the green tops in food processor until almost pureed and thinly slice the white parts with a sharp knife. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, heat a little olive oil with about 80g butter until it starts to foam, add all the leeks and a good pinch of salt. Cook for about 10mins covered, stirring regularly until softened. Turn down heat and add two medium-sized potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced), two sliced garlic cloves, dessert spoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary and about 1½ litres of vegetable stock or water. Cook for a further 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Blitz soup with a handheld blender until you reach required consistency. Season with salt and pepper and just before serving crumble some strong blue cheese on top.

This leek, celeriac and mussel broth was made for us by friends on a recent trip to Ireland and was fantastic. You can use oysters instead if you want to impress. For six people, you’ll need just under a kilo of mussels. Quickly wash under cold water and discard any already open.

Heat a large saucepan over high heat and, when it’s really hot, throw in your mussels with two glasses of white wine, cover with lid and simmer for 10mins. Once all mussels open, drain in a colander over a bowl to catch the liquid. Remove mussels from shells and set aside. Drain mussel liquor through a fine sieve and set aside.

In another large saucepan, heat some olive oil and 80g butter and, once foaming, stir in about 400g peeled and cut into small squares celeriac, four thinly-sliced leeks (the white tender parts) and one large potato, peeled and cut into small squares, and cook gently for about 10-15 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add 750ml of good fish stock (this can be bought) and a glass of white wine, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for a further 25 mins, stirring occasionally. To finish, season with salt and pepper and add about 100ml double cream and the reserved mussel liquor. Divide mussels between six soup bowls and spoon over hot fishy broth, garnish with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and serve with Irish soda bread.