Fork to Fork: Juliet Merrifield on the pleasures of vegetable gardening

It’s not just because I’m half Welsh that I love leeks: they taste good, are useful in lots of different dishes, and they sit patiently in the garden all winter waiting to be needed. They do take up space for a lot of the year, so if you have a tiny garden they may not be the best use of space. Growing leeks was transformed for me when I discovered there are early and late varieties, so with some careful planning I can have leeks from September to May.

Early varieties, like Pandora, are ready to eat from September to January. I planted mine in modules in the greenhouse in late January. Late varieties, like Atlanta, will withstand any winter weather thrown at them and won’t start to go to seed until the warm weather starts in April or May. I planted mine in modules in March. Both varieties should be potted on to a larger container as they grow to avoid their roots being constricted. I moved mine outside once they got big enough to handle, and then moved them again in August to their final destination. They are not fussy about being moved when they are small. The best thing about planting leeks is getting to use a tool called a dibber – makes me feel like a proper gardener. Though any fat pointed stick would do – use it to make a deep hole and drop the leek in, feet first. Fill the hole with water and the soil will slowly wash in over the roots. All of the leek that is under the soil will be white, so you want it to be as deep as possible. If your soil is not that deep you can fool the leeks by putting a cardboard toilet roll holder over it, filled with soil.

In our house leeks are part of many different dishes, from soups to risottos, pies to pastas. But in this recipe leeks star in their own show – and a good one it is too.


Juliet Merrifield is a member of HKD Transition.
This group of residents of Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint, Keymer and Ditchling is working to create a sustainable community by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, scaling down our carbon footprint and increasing our resilience to the changes that lie ahead. The group has projects on local food, garden shares and energy efficiency.

For more information, please email info@hkdtransition.org.uk or visit www.hkdtransition.org.uk



Braised Leeks (for 4)

6 large leeks (or more smaller ones)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion or 3 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
125 ml dry white wine
250 ml vegetable stock

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Mark 6. Trim off the roots and coarse dark green leaves of the leeks and slice in half lengthwise. Wash thoroughly to make sure no dirt is left between the layers. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and sear the leeks for 4-5 minutes until golden brown, cut side first. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish, cut sides up. Fry the onion/shallots and thyme until soft and beginning to colour (5 minutes) and add the wine. Bring to the boil and reduce by half, then add the stock and bring back to boiling point. Pour over the leeks and braise in the oven for around 30 minutes.