'That's the ticket for tatie soup', cries a burly ploughman, this exclamation the highest form of approbation.

Over the border in Scotland tattie soup is a lovely potato soup (recipes vary slightly as a family may wish to make it) but back in Scottish history; 'tattie clouter' is potato soup with whole spuds, 'tattie droddle' or 'tattie drottle' is enriched with milk and leeks, un-described is 'tattie glush' (don't google it), 'tattie leekie', which is pots and leeks. A potato masher was or maybe still is known as a 'champ' or 'champer'  which is the general Irish name for mashed tattie recipes, Champit totties and mince (mince and tatties) and a variation, champ the totties, in the soup. is apparently correct. This potato soup was said to be fed to impoverished children before school to warm them up. Every day is a learning day, and I bet they did well on this to set them off, better than the 'Ready break' glow we all had in the '70's.

There's more about the humble potato and it's Scottish vernacular if you click for resource 

Anyway armed only with the humblest ingredients also including butter and chicken stock I made just the most heartwarming simple food, for almost nothing in cost. To me a common man can live like a king if he can cook.

I don't need to explain this recipe, you can see the ingredients, but I do implore you to buy Carrs sauce flour if you ever see it, for thickening or sauces it's really great and made at Silloth - the other side of the Solway.

Now where did I put the champer?