A traditional Scottish broth recorded in 19th-century cookbooks such as Maria Rundell's, built around mutton, barley and root vegetables. 'Scotch broth'.
Warming and substantial, the broth is deeply savoury with sweet root vegetables and tender shreds of lamb, thickened by soft, nutty barley. It is the kind of soup that is practically a meal and tastes of a cold day made better.
Long simmering of bone-in mutton extracts gelatine and flavour into the broth, while the pearl barley releases starch as it cooks, thickening the soup into a hearty, almost stew-like body.
Variations
With beef instead of lamb, with red lentils, vegetarian with extra pulses, made from a roast-dinner carcass, thicker 'broth' versions
On the Palate
Where Scotch Broth sits in the British flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 110 min
Put the lamb or mutton on the bone into a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.
- 24 min
Skim off the scum that rises, then add the pearl barley and dried split peas.
Watch outSkim off the grey scum as it rises before adding the barley — leave it in and the broth turns cloudy and muddy-tasting.
- 360 min
Simmer gently, partly covered, for about an hour to draw out flavour.
Watch outKeep it at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil — a rolling boil makes the mutton seize up tough instead of going meltingly tender.
- 45 min
Add the diced carrot, swede, turnip and onion to the pot.
- 545 min
Continue simmering until the meat is tender and the barley is soft.
Watch outIt's ready when the meat pulls apart easily and the barley has swelled soft and thickened the broth to a hearty body.
- 68 min
Lift out the meat, strip it from the bone, chop and return it to the broth.
- 76 min
Stir in shredded cabbage and sliced leek and cook a few more minutes.
- 82 min
Season well and serve in deep bowls with bread.
