Discard the bay leaf. Tear the ham into pieces and stuff them between the leeks. You dont need to be neat about this, just bear in mind that you want most mouthfuls of leek to enjoy some ham too ...

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan, add the leeks, potatoes and bay leaves ... blue cheese and transfer to a liquidiser. Whiz the soup until it is smooth and velvety.

Add the leeks and cook for a few minutes more ... then pour in the stock and cream. Add the ham and mix well to combine, then season to taste. Cook for just a couple minutes to marry the flavours ...

You can make leek soup with minced meat in under 40 minutes. Soup with meat and vegetables works perfectly as an autumn ...

This simple soup is soothing, but not boring ... Add the olive oil, followed by the leeks and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.