Cock and Leek Soup

With all of this bitter cold weather that we have been having, I thought it would be appropriate to have some traditional English soups. The one that I have come to fancy very much is the Chicken and Leek soup (or as Gordon Ramsay says "Cock-a- leekie" soup. In his book, "Great British Pub Food" Gordon gives a great  recipe for this delicious soup. Just like the beginning of the other recipes, Gordon gives a good brief summary as to why this dish is ideal during the cold winter months. "It was originally served during the Scottish holiday feasts as a starter, like Hogmany and Burn's night. It can be a light savory broth when you add the prunes to the soup, or you can leave them out if you would prefer." I like that with this style of his writing it seems as if he is more directly talking to the reader than just giving directions and telling you what to do (like we have seen him on the cooking shows like Hell's Kitchen, yelling at his poor little chefs.) He seems to be having more of a conversation like interaction with the reader, instead of just pure robotic instructions. His recipe is very easy to follow for a fairly simple, but scrumptious meal.

Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Serves 6-8
1 chicken, about 1.5kg, jointed
sea salt and black pepper
1 bouquet garni (ba lead, few thyme and parsley sprigs, tied together)
1.5-2 litres chicken stock, or water
5 large leeks, about 500g in total, trimmed
200g cooked rice
200g soft pitted prunes