A recipe for one of those spring evenings that prove chillier than expected. Serves 3 Bring 500ml of milk to the boil in a saucepan, add 2 bay leaves and 6 lightly crushed black peppercorns. Flatten, but don’t peel, 3 cloves of garlic. Add to the milk, then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside to infuse. Trim 500g of small leeks, discarding the root and the very thickest tips. Cut into 2cm lengths and wash very thoroughly in cold running water. Pack the leeks into a medium-sized saucepan, add a thick slice of butter (about 30g) and 100ml of water or vegetable stock. Season lightly with salt and add half a lemon and 2 more bay leaves. Bring the leeks to the boil, lower the heat and partially cover with a lid. Let the leeks cook over a moderate heat, lightly bubbling, for 12-15 minutes until they are tender to the point of a skewer and the cooking liquor has almost evaporated. Cook 400g of gnocchi in boiling, lightly salted water and drain. They are done when they bob up to the surface. Melt 35g of butter in a medium-sized pan over a moderate heat, then stir in 35g of flour. Continue stirring for 3 or 4 minutes until you have a pale, smooth paste. Stir in the infused milk with a wooden spoon, a little at a time, holding back the bay leaves and garlic as you go. Let the sauce come to the boil, stirring continually until thick and creamy. Whisk out any lumps with a balloon whisk. Stir in 150ml of double cream, the leeks and 1 tbsp of grain mustard and a handful of chopped parsley. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Put half the sauce into a baking dish, add the gnocchi, then add the remaining sauce. Grate a fine layer of parmesan over the surface (about 3 tbsp) and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling and the surface is patchily golden.