Recipes › Leek › Leek, Bacon and Cheddar Risotto
Leek, Bacon and Cheddar Risotto
A deeply comforting risotto that treats leeks as a proper vegetable rather than a flavour note — they are cooked down slowly at the start until silky and sweet, then threaded through every spoonful. Smoky bacon and sharp mature Cheddar make this feel robustly British rather than Italian-by-numbers. This is a cold-night dinner that never disappoints.
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Ingredients
- 600 g leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
- 180 g smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1cm lardons
- 320 g arborio rice
- 150 ml dry white wineor use extra stock with a squeeze of lemon
- 1300 ml hot chicken stock, kept at a gentle simmeruse vegetable stock to make this meat-free
- 100 g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated
- 40 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 15 g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: milk, mustard, sulphites.
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is beginning to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.About 6 min
- Add the onion to the pan and cook over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 further minute. Add the sliced leeks along with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until the leeks are completely softened, sweet and reduced in volume by about half. Do not let them colour.About 16 min
- Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir to coat every grain in the leek mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice grains look slightly translucent.About 2 min
- Pour in the white wine and stir until it has been fully absorbed by the rice, about 2 minutes.About 2 min
- Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time (roughly 120ml per addition), stirring almost constantly and waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue for 20 to 22 minutes, until the rice is al dente — tender with a very slight bite — and the risotto is loose and flowing, not stiff.About 22 min
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cold butter, grated Cheddar and Dijon mustard. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to emulsify — this is what gives the risotto its glossy, creamy finish. Stir in the reserved bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and plenty of black pepper.About 2 min
- Cover the pan and leave to rest for 2 minutes, then divide between warm bowls. Scatter with parsley if using and serve immediately.About 2 min
Tips
- Keep your stock genuinely hot throughout — adding cold stock to a risotto slows down cooking and can make the texture gluey.
- The consistency when you take the pan off the heat should look slightly too loose. It will thicken in the 2-minute rest. If it's already stiff before you add the butter and cheese, you've gone too far.
- Use a really good mature Cheddar here — this is the primary seasoning and a young, mild Cheddar will disappear into the background.
Ring the changes
- Omit the bacon and use vegetable stock for a fully vegetarian version — add 2 teaspoons of white miso stirred in at the end to replace the smoky depth.
- Swap Cheddar for 80g crumbled blue cheese, such as Stilton, for a bolder, more pungent result.
Keeping it
Risotto is best eaten straight away. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days — reheat gently in a pan with a splash of stock, stirring well. The texture will be firmer but still very good. Leftover risotto also makes excellent arancini.
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