Key information

Colour: White stems with green leaves.

In season: August to February.

Power to perform: Leeks are a great source of vitamin K, a key nutrient for healthy bones and for clotting blood, helping heal wounds. 
 
Grow me: Leeks can be grown easily from seed, usually planted in spring for harvest in late summer onwards. To grow leeks with long white stems (or ‘shanks’), they must be planted deep in the soil and soil piled around them as they grow. Leeks are hardy and can remain in the ground throughout the cold winter months for harvest whenever you want them! 

Did you know?

• The leek is from the Allium family, and is related to onions, garlic, chives and spring onions. 
• Leeks are a national symbol of Wales. Legend has it that St David ordered his soldiers to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves against their Saxon enemy in battle. On St David’s Day (1 March), Welsh soldiers can be seen with small leeks pinned to their caps! 
• The world’s heaviest leek was grown in England in 2018, weighing in at a whopping 10.7 kilograms.  

Ideas garden

Remember to ask an adult's permission before experimenting with any leek ideas!

Get creative

We’ve learned that leeks are usually planted deep in the soil to produce vegetables with a long white stem. Did you know that this is because traditionally we cook with just the white part, often discarding the tough green leaves? 
 
The white stem has a mild, sweet onion flavour and cooks quickly, whereas the green leaves have a stronger flavour and take longer to cook. Throwing the green leaves away creates a lot of food waste! 
 
There are some easy hacks for cooking with the green leaves e.g. finely chop the leaves and sauté them in a pan for 5–10 minutes before adding the rest of your cooking ingredients or use the sautéed greens as a crispy salad garnish, mix them into butter for a tasty toast topping – lots of possibilities! 
 
Get started: Create your own unique dish idea that champions the humble green leek tops. Think about flavour and textures. What ingredients will complement your leek greens? 
 
Go further: Consider other cooking techniques that you know of that could give you even more options for your leek tops. For example, could you dehydrate them? Pickle them? 

Get cooking

Leeks have a mild, sweet onion taste when cooked so they are a great option if you want to add a subtle depth of flavour to your dishes. Leeks are a perfect supporting flavour in a comforting soup or a creamy salmon traybake. 
 
If punchy flavours are more your thing, try these marinated cock-a-leekie kebabs, or delicious leek and goats cheese pancakes! 

Ask an adult to share your leek adventures with us on social media using #GetSetEatFresh or by uploading a showcase on the Get Set to Eat Fresh community page.