Scotch broth is Scotland's equivalent of chicken noodle soup - easy to make, warm and comforting. Just what you need to fight winter colds!
This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.
I mentioned when I posted on New Year's Day that I had a bit of a cold. Well, sadly that was just the start and my husband who kindly gave me the cold on the first place from what I can work out then got a bit worse as well.
Thankfully we're now improving, but we weren't the most exciting pair to be around over the weekend, even though we tried to keep the kids entertained as best we could.
We both went into "healing food" mode which is a craving for vitamin C for me, salty cheesy crackers for my husband. We did however both agree on Scotch broth as one of the best cold-beating soups and it did feel like it helped. Whether it really did or not, it's easy and delicious, and perfect for the colder weather.
What is Scotch broth?
If you haven't had Scotch broth then think of it as Scotland's chicken noodle soup. It has many similarities, being a base of good chicken stock, onion, carrot and celery but instead of noodles there's barley, a grain that's common in Scotland.
True it takes longer to cook, but you just leave the soup to simmer away and the barley cooks and takes in the delicious stock flavor. It has a wonderful nuttiness to it that adds to the comfort factor of the whole dish.
How to make Scotch broth
Scotch broth is very easy to make, as all you do is:
- Soften the onion a little, add the carrot and celery and cook a minute
- Add the stock and barley, bring it to a boil then simmer until the barley is cooked.
It's worth using a really good stock for this since you'll really taste it, ideally homemade. I make stock every time we have a whole chicken, and made loads from our Thanksgiving turkey (turkey stock is pretty interchangeable with chicken). You can easily make this soup vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable stock. However, if you're not vegetarian then I do recommend chicken stock; there's just something about the extra flavor you get.
Top tips
One thing to note about barley is it expands a lot in cooking, so what may seem like very little going in will be a whole lot more coming out! Here I've made a soup that's pretty dense with barley as we like it that way and it makes it nicely filling.
If you prefer more of a liquidy soup then either reduce the amount of barley or increase the stock. Hopefully the pictures give you a fairly good sense of the balance of ingredients here so use that as a guide to adjust to your taste.
A good tip I picked up at some point was if you only have a few bones and can't make stock there and then, freeze the bones. Add to the bag as you get more bones then make stock as you are ready. I also freeze stock I'm not using immediately in ice cube trays ready to use another time.
Scotch broth is wonderfully warming and comforting on a cold day, as we've been having a lot of recently, and one of those soups you need to have at least once a winter (or more, if you get ill a lot). Even without a cold, I know we'll be enjoying it again soon.
Try these other comforting broth-based soups:
- Easy wonton soup
- German pancake soup (Flädlesuppe)
- Greek avgolemono soup (lemon and chicken soup)
- Cock-a-leekie soup (with chicken and leek)
- Plus get more lunch recipes and winter recipes in the archives.
Scotch broth
Ingredients
- ½ onion large
- 1 carrot medium
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 tablespoon butter (or oil)
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock for vegetarian version
- ½ cup pearl barley
- A few grinds of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Dice the onion and cut the carrot and celery into relatively thin slices - cut larger slices in half or smaller depending on the thickness of the carrot.
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion. Soften for a minute or two then add the carrot and celery. Stir so all the vegetables are coated in the butter and cook for a minute or two.
- Add the stock and barley, season with a little salt and pepper, then stir and cover to bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for approx 35-45min until the barley is cooked then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Remember to pin for later!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
What a beautiful clean soup. It's true that there isn't anything better to make you feel better. I can handle major injuries just fine but a cold and I'm the biggest wimp that you've ever seen. Glad you are feeling better!
Caroline's Cooking says
I know what you mean Julie! And thanks, this is indeed a tasty soup.
Kathleen says
Just made this soup for the second time and I and my large family all enjoyed it. Filling and tasty. Added some leeks at the start as I had some and my dear old granny always did.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed, and yes leeks work great in there too!
Jhuls says
With or without cold, I would definitely enjoy this soup - very easy to prepare, but very delicious and so comforting. Thank you so much, Caroline. I am so thrilled to see at this week's FF101. Enjoy and have a lovely week ahead. 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Jhuls, indeed it's both easy and tasty. Happy FF!
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
I have a bit of a cold right now too, I wish I had a bowl of this in front of me, it looks so soothing and delicious!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Joy, it's definitely good if yoy have a cold. Hope you feel better soon!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, Nancy, indeed it is!
Analida's Ethnic Spoon says
I'd love to make a big batch of this soup. Does it freeze well?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes it does freeze not pretty well, from memory, although I haven't in a while.
Denise Wright says
I've never heard of Scotch broth but I think my hubby would love this as he's a big beef and barley fan. I'll have to make his for him soon! It looks so warming and comforting for winter.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Denise, yes perfect cold weather soup!
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
3 of 4 in my family are fighting pneumonia, so this soup looks like it is just what I need. I can't wait to try it out.
Caroline's Cooking says
Oh dear, Kristen, that doesn't sound good! I hope this goes down well!
Mr Fitz says
What a wonderful soup, I like it made with lamb or mutton too, Thanks for sharing it at Fiesta Friday 101
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks Mr Fitz, yes lamb stock also adds a great flavor to it.
Sally says
Hi Caroline. This makes a nice soup but it's not scotch broth. It should be made with lamb. Potato, onion, turnip, barley and split peas and dried green peas
Caroline's Cooking says
It's definitely something that can vary - my family always made it with chicken stock but I have seen that lamb is more typical. The vegetables definitely vary a lot, though, in pretty much all versions, as do whether you include split peas etc. The main thing that is consistent is some root vegetables and barley.