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British

Scotch broth

Non-vegetarian

A thick, nourishing Scottish soup of lamb, pearl barley and dried split peas with leeks, carrots and swede. Warming winter food that is almost a stew.

Scotch broth is a British soup from United Kingdom, ready in about 2 hours 20 minutes and made with lamb shoulder, pearl barley and green split peas (dried). It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of Scotch broth with barley and vegetables, served with bread
Photo: bnhsu / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
2 h
Total
2 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
324

Plus overnight soaking of the split peas.

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the lamb in a large pot with the water, bring to the boil and skim. Add the barley (opens in a new tab) and drained split peas and simmer gently for 1 hour.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion (opens in a new tab), carrots (opens in a new tab), swede and leeks (opens in a new tab) (and cabbage (opens in a new tab) if using) and simmer for 45 minutes more, until everything is tender.

    • 45 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Lift out the lamb, strip the meat from the bones, chop and return it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) and stir in the parsley (opens in a new tab).

    • 10 min
    Fresh herbs being chopped
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Scotland, United Kingdom · Well documentedMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Slow-cooked
Taste
savoury, earthy, mild
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Lamb shoulder · Pearl barley · Green split peas (dried) · Onion · Carrot · Turnip
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Slow-cooked gravy

Allergens

  • Contains: Glutenfrom pearl barley

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

324 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 534 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy324 kcal61 kcal
Protein16.7 g3.1 g
Carbohydrate27.8 g5.2 g
Net carbohydrate21 g3.9 g
Sugars4.7 g0.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.8 g1.3 g
Fat16.9 g3.2 g
Saturated fat7 g1.3 g
Trans fat0.8 g0.2 g
Cholesterol42 mg8 mg
Sodium680 mg127 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
546 mg
Calcium
92 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
54 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
211 µg
Vitamin C
16 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cabbage.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Skim off excess fat after cooking, or chill overnight and lift off the solid fat.

Common mistakes

  • Not stirring now and then — barley and split peas settle and catch on the bottom.

Food safety

  • Simmer until the lamb falls from the bone.
  • Cool leftovers quickly (shallow containers) and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat until piping hot (75 °C).

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days chilled; freezes well.

Reheating

  • Reheat until piping hot, adding water if it has thickened.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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