Scotch Broth

Name: Scotch Broth
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500 g lamb neck (on the bone); 75 g pearl barley (rinsed); 50 g dried green split peas (soaked overnight (optional)); 2 l cold water; 1 onion (chopped); 2 carrots (diced); 200 g swede (diced); 1 leek (sliced); salt and ground black pepper; chopped parsley, to serve

A hearty Scottish soup of lamb, pearl barley, split peas and root vegetables.

By IslaAI-assistedApproved for publication by BeneRecipes Editor on 1 October 2026Updated 30 September 2026

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Total: 2 hr 5 min
Makes: 6 servings
Difficulty: Easy

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A bowl of Scotch broth served with a bread roll — Photo: bnhsu · CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)

Scotch broth is a whole meal in a bowl: lamb (or mutton) simmered slowly with pearl barley and dried peas, then finished with carrots, swede and leek. In Scotland, bags of ready-mixed "broth mix" of barley, split peas and lentils are sold for exactly this soup.

It is even better the next day, when the barley has thickened it further.

Ingredients

6 servings

500glamb neck, on the bone
75gpearl barley, rinsed
50gdried green split peas, soaked overnight (optional)
2lcold water
1onion, chopped
2carrots, diced
200gswede, diced
1leek, sliced
salt and ground black pepper
chopped parsley, to serve

Equipment

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Method

1
Put the lamb, barley, drained split peas and water in a large pan. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any froth, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Photo: Glane23 · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
2
Add the onion, carrots, swede and leek and simmer for another 45 minutes until everything is tender. Lift out the lamb, pull the meat from the bones, chop it and return it to the pot. Season, and serve scattered with parsley.
Photo: Michael W. Kolton (Talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

Tips

Skimming the fat: if you make it a day ahead, chill it and lift off the fat that sets on top before reheating.

If it goes wrong

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Soup too thick next day	Barley keeps absorbing liquid	Loosen with a little water or stock when reheating
Split peas still hard	Not soaked, or old peas	Soak overnight, or leave them out

Guides for this recipe

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