This thick, creamy pottage, somewhere cosily between a stew and a slightly soupy, sticky risotto, offers instant comfort. This is the sort of food that gets left behind in the Instagram age: not pretty to look at, but gratifyingly reassuring to eat. Nothing would go wrong if you were to keep the skin on but, for once, I prefer to keep the fat out of it. Do not even think about using boneless thigh fillets.
Serves 4-6
leeks 300g (trimmed weight), sliced into about 3cm logs
carrots 300g, peeled and cut into chunky batons
parsnips 300g, peeled and cut into very chunky batons
pearl barley 175g
chicken thighs 6, bone-in and skin-off (see introduction)
hot chicken stock 1.5 litres
English mustard 4 tsp
flat-leaf parsley leaves from a small (about 25g) bunch, roughly chopped
