JEREMY LEE –  Theodora Fitzgibbon’s cullen skink was one of the first soups I learned to cook in Scotland. It’s an example of good cooking, simple, brilliant and a wonderful flavour.

SERVES 3-4

• Large smoked haddock 1, preferably Finnan, about 900g
• 1 sliced onion
• 850ml milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• cooked mashed potato, about 225g
• salt and pepper

Put the haddock in a shallow pan, skin side down, with just enough cold water to cover it, bring to the boil, then simmer for 4 minutes. Turn the fish, and with a small slice take off the skin, add the sliced onion, cover, and simmer very gently for about 10 minutes. Take the fish out and remove all the bones, then put them back in the stock and simmer again for about 20 minutes, then strain. Put the stock and the milk in a saucepan, add the filleted fish, bring to boiling point, then add enough mashed potato to make it creamy and the consistency you like. Add the butter in very small pieces, and season. The last of the butter should hardly melt, but run in little yellow rivulets through the soup-stew. Serve with triangles of dry toast.

Jeremy Lee is head chef at Quo Vadis, London – quovadissoho.co.uk