Hearty Vegetable, Barley and Meat Soup

Makes 3 litres of soup

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe and is absolutely DELICIOUS - great for the middle of winter and freezes well for ready-made meals.

ingredients

A few tablespoons of olive oil
Some meat bones: I love it the most with lamb bones, but also good with Osso bucco, ox tail bones or whatever you like!
Whatever vegetables you like but here’s a list of good ones: onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, suede, turnip, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin - “all but the kitchen sink!”
1/2 packet of barley (which has been soaked and previously cooked - you can freeze the remaining 1/2 packet of barley for the next batch of soup
Parsley (optional)

1
- Heat the oil in a big soup pot or slow cooker.
2
- Brown the meat and once done, take out of the pot and set aside.
3
- Dice up the vegetables to whatever size you like - I like mine quite chunky.
4
- Fry up vegetables till they are a little cooked
5
- Return meat to the pot
6
- Add water to the pot if you are using meat, and stock if your not.
7
- Put barley in and then cover with water and add a bit more for good measure.
8
- Season with salt and pepper and parsley if you have it.
9
- Bring to boil and simmer for about an hour or longer if you have the time.
10
- Serve with crusty bread or toast smothered with butter