Leek and Potato Soup

I always said that I hated soup, but lately I've realised that what I hate is 'cream of ...' soup, or any soup which has been blitzed completely smooth. Homemade soup with lots of chunky veg in it is actually pretty good and has the advantage of being cheap to make. I forsee a lot of soup in my immediate future.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and chopped
100g pearl barley
1 litre vegetable stock
Herbs, pepper etc to season

* heat 1tsp oil in a large pan and saute the leek, onion and garlic for a couple of minutes
* add the stock, potato and barley and season
* bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour