Celebrating VE Day with Wartime Favourite Recipe: Oxford Potato Soup

This Friday 8^th May marks the 70^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day.

Although many ingredients were rationed during the war, the nutritional value of potatoes were recognised at the time and the Ministry of Food declared that fish and chips would be the only food not to be rationed. A fun character was created, Pete Potato, in order to promote the healthy benefits of eating potato.

Potatoes play an important part in a healthy and balanced diet. Despite what some people may think, potatoes are very good for you as they are naturally fat free, full of vitamin C and B6 and minerals such as magnesium and potassium. They are also a source of fibre, providing more fibre than two slices of wholemeal bread.

Potatoes became a staple ingredient in wartime recipes, such as hearty Scotch hotpot, playful Potato Piglets and warming Oxford potato soup. I must say we are big fans of potatoes, they are versatile and perfect for delicious and nutritious family meals.

Apart from crispy roast potatoes and creamy mashed potato, some of our favourite potato based recipes are Salmon Fishcake with warm tomato balsamic salad, Fisherman’s Pie and Potato Tortilla.

In order to celebrate VE Day, we recreated a wartime favourite recipe: Oxford Potato Soup, a quick and tasty soup of potatoes, leeks, celery and bacon, perfect as a quick lunch or light dinner. For soups, sauces and mashed potatoes, the best variety is the smooth and creamy Desiree potatoes, while fluffy King Edward and Maris Piper potatoes are great for jackets, roast and chips, and firm Charlotte and Maris Peer are ideal for salads or as an accompaniment.

Oxford Potato Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 leeks, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 Desiree potatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• Crispy bacon, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley to taste

Method:

1. Sautee the onions, garlic, leeks and celery in a saucepan over medium heat with little oil for 3-5 minutes, then add the potatoes and rosemary and cook for a further 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable stock, bring to boil and simmer on medium heat until the vegetables are cooked.
3. Blend until smooth and serve with crispy bacon and chopped parsley to taste.

How do you enjoy eating potatoes?

For more information and tasty potato recipes, please visit http://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/

This post has been written in collaboration with the Potato Council, however the opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.