Cock-a-leekie soup

Cock-a-leekie soup is a Scottish soup dish consisting of leeks and peppered chicken stock, often thickened with rice, or sometimes barley. The original recipe added prunes during cooking, and traditionalists still garnish with a julienne of prunes. Anne Mulhern of Glasgow's Willow Tearooms suggests that the reason for the addition of prunes dates back to times when only boiling fowls were available and prunes were added to increase the nutritional value of the broth.