Boot camp Melbourne

1. For a delicious accompaniment to grilled or pan-fried fish, serve some gently stir-fried, finely chopped leek with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of your favourite firm melting cheese (try parmesan, cheddar or pecorino).

2. Because of their mild taste, leeks go very well with eggs. Sneak some into your next quiche, frittata, omelette or batch of savoury muffins with their traditional accompaniment, bacon, and the youngsters won’t even notice!

3. Whip up a traditional Italian dish with sautéed leek, garlic, chillies and olive oil. Mix it together with your favourite wholemeal pasta, a handful of cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of parsley. Delicious.

4. Use up over-ripe pears in a leek and pear soup – add 2 pears, 2 medium potatoes and 4 cups of chicken stock to sautéed leeks in a pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée in a blender, reheat in a saucepan, stir in a cup of low-fat greek yoghurt and pepper to taste. Serve with chives.