Leeks

The humble, or really noble, leek is a big deal here at Barcombe. Whilst leeks are known as the national emblem of Wales, not England, and none of us wishes to compete with the Roman emperor Nero, who had a penchant for them, over the title of chief ‘Leek eater’, Adrian did choose one for our logo. For what could better represent the gritty reality of British farming than this iconic allium?

We grow thousands and thousands of them every year and they stoically withstand the worst of weather conditions, lasting us from the autumn to the late spring. They are unsung vegetable heroes, easily forgotten because of their dependability, yet irreplaceable. What else has quite their ability to cook down into exceptional butteriness? When we joke about wanting to work in warmer climates we soon remember the tropics aren’t known for their leeks and we reckon we’d crave the ‘exotic’ delicacy before too long… although perhaps not the oniony stink that follows you round when you’ve picked 100kg of them! 

Our leeks aren’t as uniform as ones you’ll find in plastic packets, but we think they’re much tastier and we don’t waste anything by excessively trimming them, so you know they’re super fresh and have more to cook with. 
Beyond soup (from cock-a-leekie to vichyssoise) try making a savoury crumble by slicing a few up and combining with white beans, a grated root like parsnip and some crème fraîche or yoghurt, then baking topped with a mix of oats, flour and cheese or pumpkin seeds. After something quicker? How about tagliatelle with a creamy, leek-based sauce and crisped-up pieces of your favourite sausages? 

To save water and oust every last bit of grit, briefly soak your cut up leeks in a bowl, rather than running them under the tap. Your houseplants or flower bed won’t mind a bit of mud either!