January 19, 2023 The Wee Larder
A cosy bowl of soup is perfect for the cold Scottish Winter months. We have so many delicious and popular soups in Scotland and I have chosen three of my favourites to share with you all. We will be making a delicious Smoked Ham Hough soup with lentils and grated roots and a hearty tattie soup made with the most delicious stock. Last but not least is the lovely creamy oatmeal soup made with root vegetables and a good chicken stock. All three recipes are rich in flavour.
Click here to jump straight to the printable Scottish Soup recipes.
You can also watch the full recipe video containing all three Scottish soups in the Youtube video below.
These warming soups are made in my kitchen all the time in the Winter with the Scottish Oatmeal soup being one of my new favourites. It is made with a good chicken stock, grated root vegetables and whole milk. It’s very thick and creamy. The Smoked Ham Hough soup is my Dad’s favourite and quite possibly my Granda’s favourite before him. I remember tucking into a few bowls at my Granda’s house with wholemeal rolls on the side. The tattie soup is a classic Scottish soup and a favourite with the kids. Its made with a beef stock and lots of thinly sliced potatoes, a wee bit carrot and some leek. All three are great for a cold day right through to late Spring.
More cold weather recipes…
Easy White Chocolate Banana Cake
Creamy Goats Cheese Tart
Rhubarb Shortbread Crumble Cake
The Best Scottish Haggis Recipes
Scottish Christmas Chocolate Trifle
Easy Scottish Tea Loaf in 5 Minutes
The secret to all of the soup recipes is a long slow cook. The depth of flavour and nutrition in these soups is biult up over a long slow cook. Good stock and time is essential to a good old fashioned Scottish soup. I have a soup maker that makes soup in ten minutes but nothing compares to a slow cooked broth.
The ham hough soup uses a Smoked Ham Hough as a base for the broth. If your not sure what that is check the video above. The oatmeal soup is made with a good chicken stock made from leftover chicken bones and the tattie soup is made with a few good beef bones but you could also use a piece of beef rib if that is easier to find.
Your going to love these recipes because…
They are all really easy to make and are made with seasonal ingredients. They do take quite a bit of time to create a good flavour but they are nutritious and perfect for a cosy family lunch.
These soups can be added to your weekly Sunday meal prep and make delicious cosy lunches on a cold Winters day. I made all three up at once for this video and we enjoyed them all week with warm buttered rolls and oatcakes and cheese.
These soups are affordable to make and are nutritious for all the family to enjoy.
Scottish Recipe Suggestions…
If you like the sound of these soups you may also enjoy some of these other Scottish recipes. Why not try making your own Scottish oatcakes to serve alongside these delicious recipes. I quite often enjoy Scottish oatcakes with cheese on the side of my soup. Home made are even better. You may also enjoy this lovely Irish Potato soup. It is another favourite of mine and is lovely with the addition of the crispy bacon pieces.
Traditional Scottish Oatcakes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFRAbjy1Iz0&t=32s
Irish Potato & Bacon Soup – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHw4nzexppo&t=106s
Tips for making this recipe…
If you want to make these ahead of time I would make up all of the soup recipes and leave them to cool before portioning them out for the fridge or freezer. I haven’t frozen any of them but I can imagine they would freeze very well.
If your short on time but want to biuld flavour try using a really good quality pre made liquid stock. I would always recommend the long slow cooking process for an authentic flavour but if you really want to make them quickly you could try the stock instead of the long cooking time with the bones. You can’t really shortcut the ham hough though.
My wee daughter was asking where the “steak” was in the oatmeal soup. She is so used to enjoying a good bowl of Scottish broth with the beef pieces. The oatmeal soup would be deliciosu with any shredded chicken leftover meat and the tatttie soup would also be really nice with some shredded beef in it. If your using the beef rib instead of the beef bones to make the stock you could shred this up and add it into the soup. My Dad quite often enjoys the beef rib on the side. So delicious!
If you like Scottish baking you will love my Traditional Scottish Tearoom cookbook. It is packed with recipes inspired by the traditions of Scotland and the seasons. You can find out more information below.
If you enjoy Scottish recipes your going to love my Scottish cookbooks available now on my website. All inspired by either the traditional dishes of Scotland, the Scottish seasons or Scottish food culture. Click the image link above or below to bring a taste of Scotland into your kitchen!
Scottish Smoked Ham Hough Soup
Scottish Smoked Ham Hough Soup
A delicious lentil and root vegetable soup made with a smoked ham hough.
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Ingredients
- 3 litres Water
- 1 medium Smoked Ham Hough
- 80g Red Lentils
- 2 Carrots grated
- 1/2 med Turnip grated
- 1 Onion chopped fine
- Salt & Pepper
- Chopped Parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Add approx 3 litres of water, red lentils and the smoked ham hough to the large soup pan. Simmer away on a medium heat for an hour or so until the lentils are cooked and the ham is cooekd through. It may be different depending on the size of the ham.
Add in the grated vegetables, onion and cook down for a further 45mins -`1 hour. Add a little more water if required.
Remove the ham and set aside to cool a little before chopping into small pieces.
Add all of the ham pieces back into the soup and stir through. Season with a little salt and pepper and sprinkle with a little parsley if you wish too.
Serve with buttered oatcakes or fresh crusty brown bread and cheese.
Scottish Oatmeal Soup
Scottish Oatmeal Soup
A delicious hearty soup made with a good quality homemade chicken broth, root vegetables and oatmeal.
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Ingredients
- 1tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion chopped fine
- 1 Carrot grated
- 1/2 med Turnip grated
- 1 Leek sliced thin
- 35g Oatmeal fine
- 600ml Chicken Stock homemade instructions below
- 200ml Whole Milk
- Salt and Pepper
- Parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Add the butter to a large soup pan and add in the onion, carrot, leek and turnip. Stir through for five minutes.
Add in the oatmeal and fry for a few minutes with the vegetables. Add in some additonal butter if required.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add in the chicken stock and leave to simmer for 45mins – 1 hour. Keep an eye on the water level you may need a little water to thin.
Add in the milk, more or less to your preferred consistency and stir through to warm.
Check the seasonings and adjust if nessecary.
Sprinkle over the parsley and serve with oatcakes and cheese or crusty bread.
Notes
Make your own chicken broth by simmering a leftover chicken or some chicken thighs or wings in a stock pot with vegetable peelings or leftover vegetables and a dash of apple cider vinegar for 4-6 hours. Strain and discard the stock ingredients reserving the liquid for the soup.
Scottish Tattie Soup
Scottish Tattie Soup
A delicious creamy Scottish classic made with beef stock, tatties and a wee bit carrot and leek.
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Ingredients
- 3 litres Water
- 3 small Beef Bones (marrow or other) or a piece of beef rib
- 900g Potatoes washed, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 Carrot grated
- 1 Leek sliced thin
- 1 Onion chopped fine
Instructions
Add the beef bones into a large soup pan with approx 3 litres of water and simmer for around 2 hours for the marrow bones and 1 hour approx for a piece of beef rib. Check the water level.
Add the potatoes, carrot, leek and onion and simmer for 1 hour approximately or until the potatoes are so soft and break up easily.
Mash slightly with a potato masher and serve with oatcakes or brown bread.
