Leek

Thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans, the Scots have made good use of leeks in soups and stews and particularly in the classic combination with chicken: Cock-a-Leekie. A variety of the Common Long Winter Leek, raised on the fertile soils of East Lothian, with a longer thicker stem and broader leaves was known as the Musselburgh Leek. In The Vegetable Garden (1885) William Robinson says that the ‘fine qualities of this vegetable are much better known to the Welsh, Scotch and French than to the English or Irish’.