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Scotch broth
Scottish lamb, pearl barley and root vegetable soup
Every Scottish granny has her own Scotch broth, the thick winter soup that simmers on stoves from the Borders to the Highlands and is often served on Burns Night. Lamb neck on the bone makes a rich stock with pearl barley, dried peas, leek, carrot, turnip and cabbage, and the meat is shredded back into the pot. It is a whole meal with crusty bread. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead; the barley keeps thickening it, and you can lift the solid fat off the top once chilled.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ¾ lb lamb neck on the bone
- 10 ½ cups water
- 3 ½ oz pearl barleyrinsed
- 2 ⅝ oz dried green split peasrinsed
- 1 oniondiced
- 2 leekssliced
- 2 carrotsdiced
- 7 oz swede or turnipdiced
- 5 ½ oz savoy cabbageshredded
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 handful parsleychopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb lamb neck on the bone and 10 ½ cups water in a large pot and bring slowly to the boil. Skim off the grey foam that rises for the first 10 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Add 3 ½ oz pearl barley, 2 ⅝ oz dried green split peas and 2 bay leaves. Cover partly and simmer gently for 1 hour, until the lamb is tender.
60 minStep 3: Add 1 onion, 2 leeks, 2 carrots and 7 oz swede or turnip and simmer for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and barley are soft.
30 minStep 4: Lift out the lamb, pull the meat from the bones, discard bones and fat, shred the meat and return it to the pot. Add 5 ½ oz savoy cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes. A common mistake is adding the cabbage too early; it turns grey and sulphurous.
15 minStep 5: Season with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper, remove the bay leaves and stir in 1 handful parsley. Serve piping hot. Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days; add a splash of water when reheating.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scotch broth take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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