Potato and leek soup: Thermomix and frugal

As always, can be made the conventional way too!

Yet another . . . basically the same method, made with bits and bobs.  I had four little pots of home grown leek bits in the freezer, from when I did Live Below The Line.  As I am trying to get some logic and system into my freezers, I was going to throw them out but then had a little think.
I used Morrison's Value canned potatoes because I had them, they're frugal and the 'fresh' ones I had in the fridge were far from.  They are now being recycled!  The remaining canned spuds will be roasted (oh, OK, possibly fried and as I'm having bacon for breakfast, I guess they can fry or roast in the bacon fat which will be scrummy) for dinner.
The amounts can be variable - it almost always is in soup, isn't it?

So - here it is

Ingredients:
Some sliced leek - I would say I used around 1/4 of a leek all together - sliced.  You could use green bits for this, the bits that get chucked usually but which have such flavour.
a small onion, chopped
soft butter - a knob
1/4 tsp crushed garlic (I get this on jars from Morrisons - saves time and is great value)
half a can of potatoes, diced.
one Knorr vegetable stock pot
pepper
a good pinch mixed dried herbs
boiling water

Method.
Put the leek and onion in the bowl and add the butter and the garlic.  Give it a reverse zizz for a few seconds to coat the veg with the butter.  Then saute for 10 minutes on 100, reverse speed 1 or 2.

Add the potatoes, the stock pot, the pepper and herbs and top up to the 1 litre mark with boiling water.

Cook on 100, speed 2, 15 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then blend for about 30 seconds, increasing speed gradually until it is top speed.  It doesn't need any more than that.

You know what?  It has made a very tasty soup indeed - I've had the little bit that wouldn't fit into the freezer containers.  Nothing 'OTT special' but most acceptable.  Four portions of 250mls so enough for a good lunch for two probably with leftovers.


I'm going to price it out as much as I can.
The leeks were free (from the garden) so I can't price them out.
Butter:  about 10p
Onion:  about 5p (it was small)
Stock pot: 25p - the most expensive item in the whole recipe!
Crushed garlic:  about 4p
Potatoes:  8p for half the can
Dried herbs:  Neg so say 2p.  I bought a huge big bag of them for not a lot.
Pepper:  Not even trying to cost a few grindings - 0p
Total:  60p (not including leeks and rounded up), so 15p per portion.  Can't complain about that for something that is very tasty.  You could serve with a dash of milk or cream or some grated cheese - always delicious!

The reason why I portion in 250mls is simply that it's the size of my pots, full to the top with no air space and therefore space wastage.  It's fine for a school lunch with bread and butter and fruit or cake.

The negative is that I clear my freezer of four titchy pots of leek and end up with four larger pots to freeze instead.  :-)