SOOTHE your way into autumn with these warming soups.

For this smoked haddock and potato chowder, cook the bacon and leeks in one pan and haddock, milk and cream in another. Then acquaint them later.

To serve four, you need 40g butter, seven rashers rindless smoked back bacon, cut into 1cm strips, three leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced, 400ml full cream milk, 200ml whipping cream, 450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice, one bay leaf, 450g undyed smoked haddock, skinned, boned and cut into 2cm pieces.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add bacon and cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally to until lightly coloured. Add leeks and continue to cook for 8 mins until softened and just starting to colour. At the same time, but in separate saucepan, bring milk and cream to boil with potatoes and bay leaf, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 mins, add haddock and simmer for another 5 mins or until potatoes are tender and haddock starts to flake. Combine the contents of the two saucepans and season with freshly ground black pepper, divide into four bowls and serve with warm bread.

It is best to use dried beans for this pumpkin and bean soup, but canned will do.

Serves about 10 /12: 300g dried white haricot beans, soaked overnight, 2 tbsp finely chopped sage, four finely chopped garlic cloves, two fresh bay leaves, two sprigs thyme, 2kg pumpkin, 3 tbsp olive oil, two finely chopped onions, two finely chopped carrots, two finely chopped celery sticks, 4 pints veg or chicken stock, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place beans in large saucepan, cover with lots of water and boil for 15 mins, drain, rinse and return to pan, then just cover with water again, add half of the sage, garlic, bay leaves and thyme and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about one hour, or until the beans are tender, drain and leave to cool. Pre heat oven to 375ºC/Gas 6. Cut pumpkin into wedges, about 3cm thick, scoop out seeds, brush with melted butter and place in roasting tin. Season and roast for about 45 mins until soft and caramelized, turning once.

Heat oil in a large saucepan and add remaining sage and garlic along with onions, carrots and celery, cook for 15 mins until soft but not browned, pour in stock and bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 mins. Leave pumpkin to cool then scoop flesh away and discard the skin. Add flesh to pan and simmer for another 20 mins, whizz soup to puree, then add beans and season to taste.

This chunky split pea and ham soup serves six and you need two gammon shanks, 300g green split peas, soaked overnight, two large onions, left whole, two bay leaves.

Put ingredients into large heavy bottomed saucepan with 2 litres water, bring to boil, reduce to slow simmer for two hours, topping up with water as you go. Remove skin from gammon and pull off the meat into thick strips. Next, scoop out onions and whizz to a paste in a food processor with a little of the soup. Stir the onion mixture back into the soup along with the ham strips, re-heat, divide into bowls and top with freshly ground black pepper.