HARLEY'S BISTRO & COFFEE HOUSE, 84 HIGH STREET
This is a nice coffee house. It sits on a wide High Street that sees more traffic than it should. The inside has bare wooden floorboards, big luminescent green sofas that look as if they could swallow a man whole, and shelves of books which you may read. It's a relaxed atmosphere, one conducive to the slurping of soups like 'Lentil'. I like Harley's.

TEA TIME, 1 HYNDFORD PLACE
When I walked in here a wee old woman immediately left and brushed by me into the street. I stood for a moment fully expecting some sort of chain reaction that would see all those seated suddenly stand up, throw their arms in the air, and rush out with cries of, 'Flee for your lives, it's the Soupsayer!' As it turned out, she was just taking a call on her mobile phone. The Tea Time tearoom is cosy and vibrant with soup slurpers. There's one or two on each day, with varieties like 'Cream of Mushroom' or 'Lentil'.

THE COURTYARD TEAROOM, CASTLEGATE
This is up a narrow cobbled close that leads to a green backyard and a small building that may once have been a wash-house or works or something and which is now given over to that wondrous task of making soup and other edibles. It's pleasantly quiet and peaceful inside, and given the sheer volume of traffic on Lanark's High Street you will find yourself longing for some peace and quiet. Generally one soup each day, like 'Parsnip with Leek and Chives' or 'Cream of Vegetable.' The Courtyard Tearoom is a very good tearoom with a great range of soups.