Slow-cooker Scotch broth
Makes: 3 ltr
Serves: 8
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Maja Smend
Slow-cooker Scotch broth
The culinary ancestry of Scotch broth is lost in time, with pottages of meat, barley and root vegetables having been staples since the times of the Picts. Potatoes are a later, post-16th-century addition
Makes: 3 ltr
Serves: 8
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
187Kcal
Fat
5gr
Saturates
2gr
Carbs
22gr
Sugars
7gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
11gr
Salt
1.2gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 300g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
- 1 x 300g pack extralean diced lamb, cut into smaller chunks
- 1 medium leek
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 150g swede, diced
- 2 medium parsnips
- 1 large onion, diced
- 60g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
- 75g shredded cabbage or kale
- crumbled extra-mature cheddar, to serve (optional)
Step by step
Get ahead
The soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen. Add extra liquid when reheating.
- Turn a slow cooker (at least 4 ltr capacity) on to High and add 400ml boiling water plus the diced potatoes. Cover with the lid so that they can start to heat through while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- For extra colour, first brown the lamb (skip this step if you wish). Heat the oil in a large frying pan, tip in the lamb, season and fry on a high heat until browned all over (don’t stir for at least 2 minutes initially).
- Trim and wash, scrub or peel the leek and root veg as needed, then chop into 10-15mm chunks. Tip the lamb, browned or otherwise, into your slow cooker pot and add the diced veg (including the onion), the pearl barley, salt, stock cubes and 1.75 ltr boiling water. Mix well, replace the lid securely and cook on High for 4-5 hours, or for 6-8 hours on Low.
- Stir in the cabbage or kale and cook for 30 minutes more.
- If you want the soup to be thicker, remove a couple of ladlefuls and blend to a purée before stirring back into the soup. Adjust the seasoning to taste. If you like, serve scattered with crumbled cheese.
