Winter COMFORT

Nourishing recipes to keep you warm and cosy from the inside out

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Smoked haddock soup

Based on a Scottish recipe for Cullen skink, this hearty, nourishing bowl will help keep out the winter chills.

SERVES 6

PREP 15 mins

COOK 25 mins

* 480g smoked haddock fillets

* ½ stock cube dissolved in 300ml water

* 8 peppercorns

* 50g butter

* 1 onion, chopped

* 1 leek, sliced

* 350g waxy potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks

* 600ml whole milk

* 2 bay leaves

* Handful chives and parsley, freshly chopped, to serve

* Soda bread or crusty bread and butter, to serve

1 Put the haddock in a shallow pan with the stock. Add the peppercorns and simmer until lightly cooked. Strain the stock into a bowl, reserving the haddock and discarding the peppercorns.

2 Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the onion and leek with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Add the potatoes and fry for 5 mins, then pour in the strained stock, milk and bay. Simmer for 15 mins or until the potatoes are tender.

3 Flake the fish into the soup (discarding the skin and any bones), then cook for about 5 mins. Discard the bay and put roughly a third of the mixture into a bowl. Using a stick blender, puree the rest to make a smooth, rich soup. Stir back in the reserved ingredients.

4 Serve in warmed bowls scattered with chives and parsley, plus a good grind of black pepper, with bread on the side.

Individual lamb hotpots

Betty from Corrie would approve of this simple, warming dish, which uses a smaller cut of lamb to feed two.

SERVES 2

PREP 30 mins

COOK 1 hr 30 mins

* 1 onion, sliced

* 1 bay leaf