THE hospitality industry loves to laugh at itself. The frustrations we encounter in our work, especially when dealing with the public, provide us with many occasions to look back and laugh out loud. Some famous comedy sketch-writers have also made the most of our industry. We all see ourselves in the characters depicted in the hilarious Fawlty Towers, or Chef!, starring Lenny Henry. And who can forget Julie Walters as the elderly waitress struggling to deliver "two soups" to the table for her disbelieving customers?

Introducing my London-born husband, Eddie, to Scottish Hogmanay in the 1970s, with the doleful Reverend IM Jolly entertaining us on TV in Scotch And Wry, is one of those hilarious memories which always makes me laugh. A few years later, as the proud owners of The Three Chimneys, we were invited to attend our very first award ceremony in 1989. Little did we expect to meet the famous comedian, Rikki Fulton, in person. The occasion was a lunchtime event held at Glasgow's stunning One Devonshire Gardens. Andrew Fairlie, the now world-renowned, two Michelin-star chef was the hotel’s young, up-and-coming head chef. We had a delicious meal, which included an individual Beef Wellington on each plate. In his after-lunch speech, Fulton praised the heavenly meal as only he could, describing the meat course as “the best bridie I’ve ever tasted”.

Andrew won the top award that day for Scottish Restaurant of the Year. We were in awe of the company we were dining with, little imagining that one day, we would be winning awards ourselves, and happy to return home to Skye with a runner-up framed certificate to hang upon our restaurant wall. This was an era long before websites and social media, when a small mention in a magazine or newspaper, meant a great deal to us in our bid to build a reputation.

Today, there are even more food awareness days than there are award ceremonies. Having overlooked International Carrot Day earlier this month, I felt I should include one of my favourite carrot soup recipes before April was over.

The recent glut of cauliflowers seems to have raised humorous concern among commentators. Encouraging people to eat more cauliflower has never had so much publicity. I almost phoned Ken Bruce on Radio 2, as he was complaining about the off-putting smell of cauliflower pervading the whole house as it cooks. I wanted to tell him that adding a couple of bay leaves to the pot as the cauliflower simmers, is the antidote to that issue.

Soups played a hugely important part on my menu in our early years in Skye. We served many bowlfuls every day, especially at lunchtime, along with homemade bread and scones. All the traditional recipes were enjoyed greatly by our growing numbers of customers. Made at home in smaller quantities and eaten with a slice or two of toasted cheese, it makes a meal-in-one. As I have also missed Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day this month, I am giving this a mention here too.

Cauliflower cheese soup was a very popular choice in the restaurant. I loved to make this, as it didn't take long to prepare and on days when I found myself pressed for time, this was a bonus. Carrot and lentil soup, which takes a little longer, was another all-time favourite. Later, I introduced blue cheese instead of ordinary cheddar to the cauliflower soup and this was a great hit. The addition of homemade, bitter-orange marmalade to the carrot and lentil, along with some spicy chorizo sausage, was something I invented for my book, the Marmalade Bible, published at the end of last year. However, it was left out of the final collection of recipes as I had too many for the content. Originally, this recipe was made with fresh oranges and coriander spice, but as supplies of fresh coriander became possible on a reliable scale, this was soon introduced to the cooking pot.

Be sure you serve these dishes with a nod and wink to "two soups" and deliver them to the table in style.

Cauliflower cheese soup

(Serves 8)

1 large fresh cauliflower

2 medium onions

2 fat cloves garlic

50g Scottish salted butter

4 dried bay leaves or 6 fresh

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

700ml vegetable stock, made with a cube or gel

300ml fresh milk

150ml fresh double cream

125g mature Scottish cheddar cheese or Scottish blue cheese, hard or soft

A little extra cheese and a few chopped chives.

Method

1. Wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets. Include the finest of the green leaves, but discard the darker, stalky ones.

2. Peel and chop the onions finely. Chop and crush the garlic.

3. Melt the butter in a thick-based, lidded saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and stir in the melted butter until soft and translucent.

4. Add the prepared cauliflower florets and stir together well. Season with salt and pepper and add bay leaves.

5. Pour in the prepared stock, bring to boil, cover with lid and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Check that the cauliflower is now very soft and broken into smaller pieces. Turn off heat. Remove the bay leaves.

7. Add the milk. Grate the cheese and add to the soup, stirring well as it melts.

8. Liquidise the soup mixture and return to the pan.

9. Add the double cream, stir well, check for seasoning and reheat before serving.

10. Garnish with a little extra grated cheese plus a few chopped chives. Pre-cooked, crispy bacon pieces or crispy bread croutons are also a delicious garnish.

Carrot and lentil soup with orange and coriander

(Serves 8/12)

750g carrots, weighed after topping, tailing and scraping

2 medium onions

2 fat cloves of garlic

50g salted Scottish butter

120g dried red lentils

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

2 rounded tsp ground coriander (or 1 large bunch fresh coriander, washed and finely chopped)

1 large orange, zest and juice (or 2 heaped tbsp homemade bitter-orange marmalade)

750ml vegetable or chicken stock, made with a cube or gel, or stock made with your own leftover chicken carcass

500ml fresh milk

4 tbsp fresh double cream (optional)

Sliced chorizo to garnish warmed in a little olive oil in a frying pan beforehand (optional)

Method

1. Slice the carrots approx 1cm thick.

2. Peel and chop onions into small pieces. Crush and chop garlic.

3. Melt butter in a thick-based, lidded saucepan. Add onions and garlic and stir well in the hot butter until soft and translucent.

4. Add the prepared carrots and stir well.

5. Rinse lentils in a sieve under cold running water until the water begins to run clear.

6. Add the lentils to the vegetables, stir well and season with salt and pepper.

7. If using ground coriander, fresh orange, or marmalade, add this now and stir well.

8. Pour in the prepared stock, bring to the boil and simmer for up to one-and-a-half hours.

9. Turn off heat, liquidise and return to the saucepan.

10. Add the milk and bring to boiling point.

11. Just before serving, if using fresh coriander, stir this through the soup.

12. Add a touch of double cream if using, stir well and garnish with the chopped chorizo.

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