Squash and smoked haddock chowder

Serves 4-6

Curried tomatoes on toast will certainly wake you up when you have an early weekend brunch (Jason Lowe)

This doesn't necessarily have to be a brunch dish, it can be served at any meal really, even in a flask for a shooting or fishing trip.

A good knob of butter
1 leek, roughly chopped and washed
1ltr fish stock
A piece of butternut squash weighing about 400g, peeled
1 bay leaf
300g naturally-smoked haddock fillet
1tbsp chopped parsley
3tbsp double cream
Ground white pepper
1-2tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds to serve

Cut half of the squash into rough 1cm cubes and put to one side. Cut the other piece in half again and thinly slice it. Melt the butter in a pan and gently cook the leek and sliced squash for a few minutes with the lid on, f until soft. Add the fish stock, bay leaf and smoked haddock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Carefully remove the haddock from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Simmer the soup for another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and blend in a liquidiser until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean pan. Add the diced squash and simmer very gently for 6-7 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, remove the flesh from the skin of the haddock, checking for bones, then flake it into the soup. Stir in the double cream and parsley and bring back to the boil before serving. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds.