Our Traditional Scottish Hotchpotch Soup is a delicious, economical, wholesome, tummy-filling meal that has been enjoyed in Scotland during the Harvest Season for centuries. It's a homely rustic chuck everything and anything in the pot soup, so is perfect for cleaning out your refrigerator or using up a glut or inexpensive seasonal veggies. Hotchpotch is incredibly versatile and budget-friendly and is also a great recipe to use up leftover vegetables during the festive season. Others names for this old-fashioned Scottish soup include Hodge-Podge and Hairst Bree which translates to Harvest Soup.
Scottish Hotchpotch Soup or Stew, as its sometimes called, also goes by the names of Hodge-Podge, Hairst Bree, and Harvest Soup. It's a traditional old-fashioned Scottish soup that makes good use of seasonal harvest ingredients, especially vegetables and grains, and would have been cooked in a large cauldron shaped pot over an open fire.
History of Scottish hotchpotch soup
Hotchpotch soup goes all the way back to British Medieval times. A recipe can be found within the Medieval cookery book The Forme of Cury. During Medieval times the soup was termed Ochepot or Hogge.
Hotchpotch simply means a variety of ingredients and it can be prepared as a soup or stew as Hotchpotch soup is so packed with ingredients, a mixing spoon should be able to stand up if placed in the middle of the soup pot!
Traditional Scottish Hotchpotches' contained many different vegetables and herbs such as lettuce, peas and turnip [swede], and flavoured with whatever fresh herbs were available such as parsley, thyme, bay and chervil. Often meat was added such as lamb or mutton, although for the poorer Scots meat was not readily available.
Historically hotchpotch soup would have bubbled away within a large cauldron shaped pot over an open fire. During the early 1800s Hotchpotch was so popular that it was considered by many to be Scotland's National dish.
Other countries have versions similar to the Scottish Hotchpotch such as the Dutch Hutspot which contains cheese, potato, carrot and onion. While a Canadian version features butter, cream and veggies.
How to prepare Scottish hotchpotch
Preparing this vegan Hotchpotch soup couldn't be simpler as its mainly a case of adding everything to the pot and cooking. This is a no-oil, fat, or butter, soup as there is no need to add any as the flavour of the humble vegetables is whats important. We have added jackfruit to our soup for additional texture and nutrition, but this can be omitted or an alternative used depending on your dietary requirements.
Prepare the jackfruit - rinse the pieces to remove any brine and chop, slice and pull apart any larger bits.
Pour the vegetable stock into the soup pan, and add the jackfruit, barley and a bay leaf.
While the stock is coming to the boil, prepare the rest of the vegetables and add to the pot.
Mix the parsley through and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Five minutes before the soup is ready mix through the spring onions [green onions]. Alternatively use the spring onions as a garnish. Alternatively, fresh, frozen, or canned peas can replace the spring onions.
If your soup is very thick, 1-2 cups of extra vegetable stock can stirred through to thin it out, although this soup is supposed to be very thick, so its just personal preference. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and scatter over any of your favourite fresh herbs.
Dish up the veggie goodness and sit back and enjoy the full satisfied tummies!
Perfect with a wedge of crusty bread or a round of toasted bread or some crisp Scottish oatcakes.
Recipe notes and FAQ's
Storing
Leftover soup can be stored within a covered container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Or frozen for 2-3 months.
Reheating
Place the soup in a pot and bring to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for a few minutes or until piping hot. Extra vegetable stock will likely need to be added as the soup will thicken even more as it is stored.
Yes, with a few changes hotchpotch can be perfect for gluten-free diets. As barley contains gluten, a different grain will need to be added. Any variety of rice is the ideal barley alternative, but millet, buckwheat, amaranth, sorghum, or quinoa could also be used. Also, use a gluten-free stock or broth.
Absolutely. Hotchpotch is the ultimate versatile soup so is perfect for substitutions as this soup is naturally prepared with whatever vegetables, herbs, grains, and proteins, that are readily available and are in season.
Whatever is on special offer, or veggies that are past their best and lurking around your refrigerator, or reduced in the supermarket or store, is perfect for filling up your soup pot. Also, any fresh or dried herbs that you have available are also perfect for the hotchpotch soup pot.
Canned jackfruit refers to jackfruit that has been preserved and sealed in a can, typically with brine, water, or syrup. Jackfruit is a tropical fruit known for its meaty texture and versatility in both sweet and savoury dishes. Jackfruit is a popular ingredient in South and Southeast Asian cuisines, but it is now a common ingredient that can be easily found in most UK supermarkets and compared to meat it is quite cheap!
The canned jackfruit should be rinsed to remove any brine before adding it to a recipe. You can also chop the pieces up and pull apart any large chunks to ensure that they mix well with the other ingredients. A good point to note is to not use jackfruit in syrup for savoury recipes!
Jackfruit is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a nutritious addition to any recipe. It's a popular meat substitute in vegetarian, plant-based, and vegan recipes due to its ability to absorb flavours and its satisfying, chewy texture.
Jackfruit is commonly used as a meat alternative as its texture is very similar to pulled pork or shredded chicken so it is often added to recipes as a meat substitute or to increase the heartiness of a dish. For our soup the jackfruit adds addition chewy textures and it is great at absorbing the flavours of the soups whilst also providing valuable nutrition. The jackfruit also contributes subtle fruity and nutty flavours to the overall soup flavour profile.
The jackfruit can be replaced with whatever protein you prefer, or go with firm tofu or tempeh - either plain or smoked, or seitan, chickpeas, butterbeans, mushrooms, meat-free chunks, crumbles, or mince. Or simply omit the jackfruit.
Tasting canned jackfruit straight from the can is generally considered safe, but it may not provide the best representation of its flavour or texture, especially if it's canned in brine, water, or syrup.
The canning liquid can significantly impact the taste of the jackfruit, making it either too salty, too sweet, or somewhat diluted, so for particular recipes its best to rinse the jackfruit pieces well to remove any of the canned flavours.
Besides, if you taste a bit of jackfruit straight from the can it will likely put you off trying it in a recipe! So its best to wait until its cooked within a tasty recipe to try it!
More easy jackfruit recipes
Jackfruit is an easy ingredient to work with and compared to meat it is a relatively inexpensive ingredient so its worth trying!
Jackfruit works especially well with our Vegan Campfire Stew as it easily mimics pulled pork and for our meat-free Chinese 'chicken' and Sweetcorn Soup the jackfruit perfectly replaces the chicken.
And although our Stir-Fry Soup recipe does not include jackfruit within the recipe we have added jackfruit to this recipe with great results.
This soup is filling so all that is really required for an accompaniment is something to dip in and mop up the tasty veggie soup juices. For example a wedge of home-baked rustic Australian Damper Bread is idea or a slice or two or homely Irish Soda Bread, or a slice of sweet crumbly Cornbread or fruity molasses enriched Boston Brown Bread.
Also crunchy Scottish Oatcakes are always the perfect accompaniment to traditional Scottish soups, and we also have an Oil-Free Oatcake recipe.
If your after a tasty sandwich to accompany your soup try our Old-Fashioned Walnut and Celery Sandwiches or our Meat-Free Coronation 'chicken' Sandwich which is prepared with kidney beans and chickpeas.
Fill your soup pots with lots of seasonal veggies, herbs, and grains, and enjoy steaming hot bowls of plant-based goodness. Hotchpotch was originally an old Scottish Harvest meal that provided sustenance for the hard workers at the end of a long day, and is now perfect for budget-friendly meals that can help ease the cost-of-living.
More budget-friendly Scottish soup recipes
Budget-friendly vegetable packed soups are always on our Scottish family stove all year round! Even during the summer as then they can be prepared in a slow cooker! And besides torrential rain, gale force winds, thunder and lightening storms, and even hail stones, are not uncommon during our 4 season summer months up here on the Scottish Island! So its always soup season with us!
For more soup recipes do check out our ever expanding collection of family Vegan Soup Recipes.
And you don't have to be vegan to enjoy our recipes as they are also great for those looking to reduce their meat-consumption with budget-friendly, meat-free, vegetable packed meals.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Scottish Traditional Hotchpotch Soup
Equipment
- Soup pot, Dutch oven, or similar
Ingredients
- 2.5 litres vegetable stock [use a vegan chicken flavour stock if available, such as OXO meat free chicken flavour stock cubes]
- 60 grams pearl barley [rinsed and drained]
- 100 grams jack fruit canned, rinsed to remove any brine, chop the pieces up and pull apart any large chunks]
- 1 bay leaf
- 200 grams carrot [1 large or a few small, diced]
- 130 grams onion [1 medium-large, diced]
- 270 grams potato [1 large, diced]
- 125 grams celery [2 large sticks, diced]
- 200 grams courgette [1 large, diced]
- 150 grams cabbage [sliced into small pieces]
- 150 grams broad beans [fresh, frozen or canned]
- 270 grams swede [diced] [known as turnip is Scotland and rutabaga in the US]
- 12 grams parsley [chopped, or replace with chives]
Add near the end of cooking [or replace with 1 cup [140grams] of fresh, frozen, or canned peas]:
- 5 spring onions [green onions] [sliced, or replace with a 1 cup, 140grams of peas either fresh, frozen or canned]
Optional, garnish:
- any fresh herbs you have available
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable stock into the soup pot, along with the bay leaf, parsley, jackfruit and barley. Turn the heat to high.2.5 litres vegetable stock, 60 grams pearl barley, 100 grams jack fruit, 1 bay leaf, 12 grams parsley
- As the stock comes to the boil prepare the veggies, chucking each one in the pot as you go.200 grams carrot, 130 grams onion, 270 grams potato, 125 grams celery, 200 grams courgette, 150 grams cabbage, 150 grams broad beans, 270 grams swede
- Once everything is in the pot, season with salt and pepper and gently simmer over a low-medium heat for 40-50 minutes.
- Five minutes before the soup is ready mix through the spring onions. Alternatively the spring onions can be used as a garnish. If replacing the spring onions with peas add these 5-10 minutes before the soup is ready. Of course, you could always add both spring onions and peas.5 spring onions [green onions]
- If the soup is very thick and you'd like it thinner simply pour in a a cup or two of extra vegetable stock and heat through for a few minutes.
- Season with enough salt and pepper to bring all the flavours together, and remove the bay leaf. Any fresh herbs you have to hand can be sprinkled over each serving.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, within a covered container, for up to 3 days.
- Or frozen for 2-3 months.
- To reheat leftovers place the soup in a pot and bring to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for a few minutes or until piping hot. Extra vegetable stock will likely need to be added as the soup will thicken as its stored.
- For a gluten-free diet replace the barley with a gluten-free grain such as rice, and use a gluten-free vegetable stock.
- Replace the jackfruit with pieces of tofu, seitan, tempeh, meat-free chunks, vegan mince or a can of butterbeans, or simply omit.
- If the soup is too thick once cooked, add extra hot vegetable stock if preferred, although this is a vegetable packed soup.
- The veggies and herbs can be substituted for any you have to hand, especially older veggies in your refrigerator that need using, leftover veggies during the festive and holiday periods, reduced price veggies from supermarket, a glut of veggies from your garden or allotment, or seasonal vegetables.
Nutrition
Prepared our Traditional Scottish Hotchpotch? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so do pop back and drop us a comment below and click the star ratings. Its very much appreciated, thanks so much, Jacq x
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