I was checking to see when smoking fish became a thing. Several references to medieval Poland but surely it must go back further than that? This is another soup made from leftover bits and pieces. Definitely tastes better than its parts, a very warming bowl. It could be considered a chowder, or maybe a bisque? No shellfish though.

• Ingredients: one smoked haddock fillet, preferably undyed. One average white potato, a couple of shallots, spring onions or a leek. One (big) or two (small) carrots, a few small handfuls of salad leaves, a teaspoonful of butter, one slice of sourdough bread, half a pint of milk, up to 100ml of crème fraîche, black pepper

• Alternative ingredients: turnips, swede, celeriac, parsley

• Method: Peel the vegetables if necessary. Cube the potato, slice the carrots and onions diagonally. Put the butter into a non stick frying pan and stir the vegetables around until they have taken on some colour and are beginning to soften. Then turn them out into a larger pan. Soak the smoked haddock fillet in boiling water for a minute or two to remove some of the salt. Then drain it and cut into large (1 inch/2cm) cubes. Put them into the buttery frying pan.

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Add the milk and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 6-8 minutes or so. Pour off the milk into the vegetable pan, adding any scraps of fish, as well as a small slice of stale sourdough, cubed. Add the same amount of water as milk to the vegetables and gently simmer them until virtually cooked. Then remove a few cubes of potato and slices of carrot, add about 100ml crème fraîche and the salad leaves and blend this mixture to a silky soup.

Return this to the pan. Skin the haddock pieces and add them, along with the reserved vegetables. Continue to gently simmer (another 5 minutes or so) until the haddock is done. Serve with another dollop of crème fraîche, a sprig of salad and a slice of crusty toast.