Gluten Free: Scotch Broth Mix

I hear you cry, "say it 'ain't so!" Unfortunately, it is so, soup weather is back with a vengeance. And nothing beats Scotch Broth when is comes to satisfying soupy suppers. Except, of course, the pearl barley and oatmeal in the mix, meaning it's not gluten free. For years, I pined for a bowl of my mum's Scotch Broth, until (in what was admittedly a face-palm kind of a moment) I realised that I could make my own.

You can replace the pearl barley in one (or all) of three ways, short grain rice, whole buckwheat or quinoa. If you go for brown rice, the grains cook in much the same time as the split peas, likewise buckwheat. Quinoa will cook a bit faster, so be aware that you won't have proud apostrophe-like grains of quinoa that are easily distinguishable in your soup, as it tends to go the way of the oatmeal and thickens the overall mixture.

Scotch Broth Mix (makes hundreds of bowls of soup)
You'll need:

• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1 cup green split peas
• 1 cup brown short grain rice, buckwheat or quinoa (or ½ cup rice and ½ cup whole buckwheat)
• ½ cup rolled oatmeal (make sure it's certified gluten free)

Make it!

1. Put the whole lot in a jar and shake well to mix.
2. Add a few handfuls to any soup. Rinse before adding to the soup to remove any excess starch.

I'm not going to tell you how to make Scotch Broth, everyone's granny has a different recipe, and I wouldn't want to upset your granny! Traditionally, it's made with lamb, but if you don't do red meat, or happen to have chicken in the fridge, my granny would be ok with you doing a swap. Add onions, leeks, carrots and swede into the pot and you can't go too far wrong.