FINDON is a small fishing village a few miles south of Aberdeen, known as Finnan in the local dialect. Unlike Arbroath Smokies, from further down the east coast, traditionally tied in pairs, hot-smoked over barrels and served immediately, Finnan Haddies were cold-smoked singly and hung in the chimney breast above a peat fire to smoke more lightly.

The fishing village of Cullen is on the coast of Moray and Cullen skink, the soup for which it has become famous, is made from smoked haddock, preferably with undyed, pale-smoked fillets. Purists believe it should be made with Finnan haddies, but there are countless recipes for this dish. To my mind, the simplest is the best and very easy to prepare in a short time.

The word skink means an "essence" or a fine bone broth. Old recipes poach Finnan haddies in water with onion, before removing the fish for skinning and flaking, setting it aside and returning the bones to cook for longer to make the basic stock for the soup. Mashed potato is added to the strained stock to make a broth, with more chopped onion. Once it is cooked out, the flaked fish is returned to the pot before serving and sometimes it was served with a dash of cream for a more luxurious finish. A light fish broth of this kind is truly delicious, but it has become more acceptable to poach smoked haddock in milk before serving it. This can be served as a breakfast dish with a poached egg, or with sliced ham and cheese fired under a grill to create the ever-popular ham and haddie for high-tea or supper.

Using a combination of these old recipes, I devised my version of Cullen Skink for The Three Chimneys way back in 1985. It was typical of the kind of dish that I wanted to rekindle in my own way, cooking and serving it simply, and taking pride in putting the proper Scottish name on our menu. When we began in the restaurant business, most up-market restaurants printed their menus in French. This seemed ludicrous to me. Over the years, we have moved away from idolising the French style of cooking as being more refined and classier than anything we Scots could possibly produce. Some of our simplest dishes, especially those cooked traditionally in one pot, over the fire, should be a source of immense pride.

During 2017, the year designated to celebrate Scotland’s History, Heritage and Archaeology, I will be working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, helping to highlight our culinary heritage and how some of this reflects directly upon the successful way in which our modern food and drink sector is growing in today’s business environment.

When we took over The Three Chimneys in Skye, we wanted to create the kind of restaurant we would love to discover ourselves, if we were travelling in the Highlands and Islands on our holidays: fresh, simple, Scottish food cooked and served well in cosy surroundings.

Thirty-two years later, we are still extremely proud to be championing Scottish food and drink and now, the whole of Scotland is doing the same – and on a much more significant scale. Our food and drink industry is a great success story, celebrating fresh produce, meat, fish and wild game all-across the nation. We can boast a wealth of producers, large and small, local and international, as well as a skilled and dedicated farming and fishing community, making the best of our beautiful land and surrounding seas. Many hundreds of people are directly employed in this diverse industry and all that is inextricably linked with it, especially in tourism and hospitality. Brewing, distilling and wine-making has reached new heights, along with new skills such as charcuterie and chocolate-making.

Our culinary history is a fundamental part of Scotland’s story. Scots were great merchants and seafarers and traded worldwide, returning to our ports with goods from around the globe. With women playing a significantly important role in kitchens, we used a wide range of unusual ingredients, especially spices. Our diet was surprisingly healthy and has been well-documented since the 1500s.

In the earliest cookery books, there are many recipes which reflect Scotland’s natural larder. We are blessed with a huge variety of ingredients, both wild and farmed. In days gone by, we used every part of every beast. Nothing was wasted and domestic cooks had consummate skills. Many women were involved with running essential countryside inns, plus hostelries in market towns and cities. A significant number ran professional kitchens on a grand scale in large houses, castles and grand estates, as well as creating excellent home-cooking for their families. For too long, women’s skills in the kitchen were unrecognised despite their prowess. I am going to enjoy unravelling some of the stories associated with our famous women cooks over the next few months, while I continue to promote and suggest recipes for dishes associated with our past, which are easy to reproduce at home.

Meanwhile, have a go at cooking Cullen skink, which is inexpensive and makes a meal in a dish. Serve with soda bread or freshly-baked scones for a quick lunch or supper. It is often served on special occasions such as Burns Night, a St Andrew’s Day Dinner or Hogmanay. Here is how I used to make it for the restaurant.

Cullen skink

(Serves 6/8)

500g undyed, smoked haddock fillet

1 pint full cream milk

Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice set aside

4 sprigs of parsley

1 level tsp black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

500/600g floury potatoes, weighed when peeled (eg Maris Piper or King Edwards)

250/300g onion, weighed when peeled

25g Scottish butter

1 pint water

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Extra parsley or chives for garnish (optional). Seaweed flakes to garnish (optional)

100ml fresh double cream to serve if wished

Method

1. Place the milk, lemon zest, parsley sprigs, peppercorns, bay leaf and one slice taken from an onion, divided into rings, into a wide saucepan, preferably a shallow one with a lid.

2. Place the fish fillets into the milk. Set on a low heat and bring to simmering point very slowly. Don't allow the milk to boil. Turn off the heat, cover with the lid and leave for up to 15 minutes for the fish to cook gently in the warm liquor.

3. Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes.

4. Peel and cut the onion into small pieces.

5. Melt the butter in another medium/large saucepan. Add the onion and stir in the butter and cook until soft and translucent.

6. Add the chopped potatoes, stir well and allow to cook without catching on the base of the pan.

7. Cover the potatoes with water and add two tablespoons of juice from the lemon. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

8. Using a straining spoon, lift the cooked haddock out of the milk and place on a plate. Strain the milk into a large jug or bowl, discarding the parsley and other contents.

9. Break up the fish into large flakes.

10. Once the potatoes are cooked, lightly liquidise, if you wish, but if not, simply add the retained milk mixture, followed by the flaked fish and stir carefully together.

11. Check for seasoning. Add a little salt and pepper if required (the fish is salty and extra may not be necessary).

12. Just before serving, reheat the soup gently and stir through the double cream. Serve immediately, garnished with herbs or seaweed flakes if liked.

Shirley Spear is owner of The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle of Skye see threechimneys.co.uk