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Mutton Broth

Mutton Broth is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup or broth of a scrag end of mutton coked with turnips, celery and leeks that's finished with pearl barley and diced turnips. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Mutton Broth.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

240 minutes

Total Time:

260 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Mutton RecipesVegetable RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Mutton Broth that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.

Original Recipe

No. 155.—MUTTON BROTH.

Take three pounds of the scrag end of a neck of mutton, and chop it into eight pieces; put these in a stewpan with three turnips, two leeks, one head of celery, a handful of parsley and a sprig of thyme tied neatly together; fill up with a gallon of water; boil, skim well, set the stewpan by the side of the fire to boil gently for three hours;—and then having strained it through a sieve, pour it into a soup-pot containing four ounces of parboiled pearl barley, and three sound turnips cut into very small dice; set the broth to boil again very gently by the side of the fire for about an hour; remove all the grease; add some of the best pieces of the mutton, kept in reserve for that purpose; ascertain that the seasoning is delicate, and serve.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1.35kg scrag end of mutton
3 turnips, peeled
2 leeks, sliced into 3cm lengths
1 head of celery
1/2 bunch of parsley tied with 1 sprig of thyme
120g pearl barley, washed and parboiled
3 turnips, peeled and finely diced
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Cut the mutton into eight pieces then place in a pan with the turnips, leeks, celery and herbs. Add 5l of water, bring to a boil and skim the surface thoroughly. Reduce to a gentle boil and cook for 3 hours. After this time, remove the pieces of lamb and set aside then strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve.

Pour the liquid into a large pan, add the pearl barley and the turnip dice then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 60 minutes. Skim any grease from the surface then chop the best pieces of the mutton and add to the soup.

Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve.

Find more of Charles Elmé Francatelli's Recipes Here and more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here