Another memory

Cutting this reminded me of catering college, a very long time ago. I'm not sure that I was that familiar with leeks before college, I don't remember then featuring large in meals at home - and I grew up at a time when garlic was exotic and olive oil was only for earache. Anyways, starting at catering college we were directed to use "green of leek" for making a bouquet garni, it was before such things were available as teabags. So, for a couple of years, we learnt how to take the top parts of a leek to make little parcels of herbs (I'm sure that you all know the constituents of a classical bouquet garni?). We'd tie them up with string and float them in stews and stock and various sauces. I can still hear one chef's distinctive Scottish voice hissing that we'd be needing green of leek before the day got much older.

Back to the present day where we have colour TV and beer is a fiver a pint. This leek is going in a cheese sauce with some carrot and they will sit next to a bit of gammon that is currently in the over with some roasties. I know it's not the weekend but I just felt like going for it. I may even have a glass of wine.