Soup – Scotch Broth

Contributed by:

Romy Gemmell

(rosemarygemmell.com)

Historical Romance

Story behind the recipe - Every Sunday morning, my brothers and I returned home from Sunday School to a bowl of mum’s home-made soup and a simple dessert. The main meal was kept until evening, after we’d hiked through the surrounding Scottish hills during the afternoon. We needed a thick and hearty soup to fill us up and Mum’s Scotch Broth was always my favourite. During the Regency balls, almond flavoured White Soup was often served.

What you’ll Need – Use a very large soup pot.

 - 6 ounces of mixed dried lentils, peas and barley (broth mix)

 - 1 large onion, chopped

 - 3 large carrots, grated (or diced)

 - ½ a large turnip, diced

 - 1 large leek, sliced

 - Bunch of fresh parsley

 - 4 pints of water and 3 vegetable stock cubes

 - Salt and pepper

Steps in the process

-          Soak dried broth mixture overnight (lentils, peas and barley).

-          Next day, rinse and add broth mix to the soup pot.

-          Add 3 pints of the water and bring to the boil.

-          Boil the dried broth mix hard for at least ten minutes.

-          Reduce to a simmer and add the final pint of water and 3 stock cubes.

-          Stir well and add all the fresh vegetables, except the parsley.

-          Put the lid half-on and simmer for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.

-          Add the chopped, fresh parsley, salt and pepper, and simmer another 10 minutes.

Comments - The beauty of soup is you can add whatever vegetables come to hand, in whatever quantity. Traditionally, we used to boil mutton (or beef) to make the stock, but I now dissolve cubes for speed. You could also add shredded cabbage and pieces of cooked lamb or beef to the pot.

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