Cock-a-Leekie Soup

A hearty chicken soup that hails from the Scottish lowlands. Hence the whisky, which you can leave out if you prefer your soup straight.

I was served this dish many years ago in the Sergeant’s Mess of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders on Robert Burns’ Night. Judging by what little I remember of that evening, I think the cook may have confused the quantities of chicken stock and whisky.

You, however, will need:

900ml chicken stock
500g chicken breast, cut into cubes
3 leeks cut into 1cm slices
8 preserved prunes, stoned and quartered
2 potatoes, diced into little cubes
150ml thick cream
4tbs good quality Scotch whisky
Salt & black pepper

Bring the stock to boil in a largish pot and add the chicken. Let this simmer for 10 minutes, then remove it and set aside. This is the only bit that is not authentic. Originally an entire boiling fowl would have been used and cooked for much longer, then cooled and stripped. But I digress…

Add the leeks, potatoes and prunes to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Then stir in the cream and season with salt and black pepper. Return the chicken meat to the stock and simmer for a further five minutes.

Stir in the whisky and serve immediately. You’ll find there’s enough for six people as a first course, or four as a complete supper with fresh crusty bread and maybe a light salad.

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