Scotch broth is the national soup of Scotland. You'll want to try our Scotch broth recipe as it's classic, hearty, and soul-warming. On a cold dreary day, it's just what you need to brighten your mood.
If you love Scottish food, you'll want to check out our cock-a-leekie soup and our Forfar bridies.
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Why This Recipe Works
- We start building the flavor with browning the meaty lamb neck bones in hot oil and then slow cooking them so the meat just falls off the bone.
- Homemade lamb broth that is made the night before is used instead of store bought chicken broth to improve the flavor and nutrition.
- The pot is deglazed by adding a little of the broth and scraping off the brown bits from the bottom of the pot to get the maximum flavor.
- The pearl barley and split peas are cooked with the soup to thicken it and add flavor.
- To make the soup healthy and hearty, lots of vegetables are added.
Ingredients
Scotch broth takes basic ingredients that can easily stored in your pantry or fridge. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Meat: This soup is traditionally made with lamb neck bones, but you can use a lamb shank. If you don't like lamb, you can also use beef shank (US) or shin of beef (UK).
- Aromatics: We used onion, leek, celery, carrots, and garlic.
- Root Vegetables: We used equal amounts of turnips (US) or neeps (Scotland), rutabaga (US) or swede (Scotland), and parsnips.
- Grains and Pulses: We used equal amounts of pearl barley and dried split green peas.
- Broth: We used homemade lamb broth, but you can also use reduced sodium chicken broth when using lamb or beef broth if using beef shank.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the lamb broth.
- In a Dutch oven, heat up the oil until it starts to smoke then sear the lamb neck bones until brown then turn over.
- Add the rest of the broth ingredients and cover with 18 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer for 2 hours.
3. Remove the lamb neck bones and allow them to cool, then remove the meat and store in the fridge to use later. Discard the bones.
4. Remove the aromatics and spices and discard. Allow the soup to cool, then cover and place in the fridge overnight. This will help the fat rise to the top and improve the flavor of the lamb broth.
The next day, skim the fat off the top of the soup. Reserve the fat for another use. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the lamb stock into a large bowl. You should have 10 cups. Clean the Dutch oven.
5. In a Dutch oven, heat up the oil, until hot then add the aromatics (onion, leek, celery, and carrots) and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
6. Deglaze the pot with ½ cup of lamb broth. Pour in the rest of the homemade lamb broth.
7. Add in the turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, pearl barley, and split peas. Stir, then cover and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.
8. Taste and season with salt and black pepper, then stir in the cabbage and the cooked lamb. Simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the heat, and stir in the fresh parsley.
10. Serve Scotch broth while still hot with some crusty bread. We served it with Scottish bannock.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this soup is healthy. It is full of vegetables that are high in antioxidants like cabbage, turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga (swede). It also has pearl barley and the protein from the lamb.
This soup is so popular it's named after the people and country that love it so much: Scotland. There are countless variations of this traditional dish since it originated centuries ago and can be adapted to what the home cook has in her fridge and pantry.
If you don't like the smell or taste of lamb, as it has a stronger, earthy, grassy flavor, the closest thing would be properly processed venison and then beef (one inch thick steak with bone). Pheasant and grouse would also work, as they are game birds from Scotland.
Subbing the meat will change the flavor and color of the soup, as lamb fat provides a unique richness.
Traditionally it is made with homemade lamb broth so it is rich in amino acids, calcium, and collagen. Wives' tales say it can cure joint pain and give you healthy skin and hair, so eating Scotch broth will keep you looking and feeling young.
Serve
Scotch broth is a comforting soup to serve for lunch or supper on a cold or rainy day. Since it's hearty enough to be the main course, choose a crusty bread and/or fresh green salad to be your side.
If you're looking for other Scottish recipes, you'll want to try our recipes for mince and tatties, traditional cranachan, Scottish steak pie, Scottish oatcakes, cock-a-leekie soup, and Forfar bridies.
Store
- Make Ahead: The lamb broth is best to make the day before you want to make the Scotch broth. If you need to make everything the day before, then cook the barley and split peas separately and add them the next day, as they soak up a lot of broth.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer friendly container and store for up to 1 month.
- Reheat: When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight, add bit more broth (lamb, chicken or beef) and reheat over medium heat until heated through. Adjust seasonings.
Expert Tips
- Brown the lamb necks in very hot oil before making the lamb broth.
- Use lamb, as the flavor and color is very different if you use beef.
- Take the time to make homemade lamb broth instead of using chicken broth.
- Cook the barley and the split green peas in the soup to thicken it and add flavor.
- Don't skimp on the vegetables. It makes it more hearty.
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Recipe
Scotch Broth Recipe
Ingredients
Lamb Broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pounds lamb neck bones
- 1 large yellow onion, skin on quartered
- 3 large carrots, peelings and cut into chunks
- 3 large celery ribs, cut into chunks with leaves
- 1 large leek, leaves only, reserve bottom for soup
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, tied up with kitchen string
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoons black peppercorns
- 18 cups water, cold, filtered
Scotch Broth Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 large leek, split lengthwise and sliced
- ¾ cup celery, diced
- ¾ cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 10 cups lamb broth, (ingredients are above)
- ¾ cup turnips, diced
- ¾ cup rutabagas, diced
- ¾ cup parsnips, diced
- ⅓ cup pearl barley
- ⅓ cup dried green split peas
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- green cabbage, 1 quarter of a small green cabbage, cut up
- lamb meat , shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
Making the Lamb Broth
- In a Dutch oven, heat up the oil until it starts to smoke. Add the lamb neck bones and sear until brown, turning occasionally with tongs.
- Add the rest of the broth ingredients and cover with 18 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove the lamb neck bones and allow them to cool, then remove the meat and store covered in the fridge to use later. Discard the bones.
- Remove the aromatics and spices and discard. Allow the broth to cool, then cover and place in the fridge overnight. This will help the fat rise to the top and improve the flavor of the lamb broth.
- The next day, skim the fat off the top of the broth. Reserve the fat for another use. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the lamb broth into a large bowl; you should have 10 cups.
Making the Soup
- In a Dutch oven, heat up the oil until hot, then add the aromatics (onion, leek, celery, and carrots) and some salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot by pouring in ½ cup of lamb broth and scraping the browned bits off of the bottom of the pot. Pour in the rest of the homemade lamb broth (9 ½ cups).
- Add in the turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, pearl barley, and split peas. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper, then stir in the cabbage and the cooked lamb. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the fresh parsley. Serve the Scotch broth while still hot with some crusty bread or bannock.
Video
Notes
- Brown the lamb necks in very hot oil before making the lamb broth.
- Use lamb as the flavor and color is very different if you use beef.
- Take the time to make homemade lamb broth instead of using chicken broth.
- Cook the barley and the split green peas in the soup to thicken it and add flavor.
- Don't skimp on the vegetables. It makes it more hearty.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Alex
The lamb flavors in the broth wonderfully, and the spices add a good flavor in each bite. This tastes amazing on a chilly day! The colorful vegetables are nice and soft.
Emma
That's lovely to hear, Alex!
Beth
This soup smells delicious! It's full of flavor, vegetables, and lamb. Excellent warm with bannock on a cold day. Quite yummy--would definitely eat this again.
Emma
Thank you, Beth!