This is an authentic wartime recipe for Blitz Soup from Gert & Daisy’s Wartime Cookery Book.
I had run out of bread so was baking a loaf and really fancied a simple soup for lunch to accompany the freshly baked bread. This recipe was pretty quick and very easy to make. Add lentils or beans for extra protein (or some left over meat trimmings/bones).
Blitz Soup Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 1 turnip
- 1 leek or onion
- 1 or 2 potatoes
- A few bones
- 1 stick celery
- 4 tumblerfuls of stock or water
- Meat or vegetable extract
- Salt & Pepper
Method
- Mince all the vegetables or cut them very small (unless you like them chunky like me!)
- Place in pan with stock or water with seasoning (and bones) and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour
- When almost cooked add meat or vegetable extract and extra seasoning if required
Serves 2-3 with bread
Lovely!
My late grandmother used to make something like this soup when I was a little girl. If I recall it was filling.
I used to make this all the time when we had a joint with any bone. It’s inspiring me to pick up a turkey leg tomorrow – roast it covered in bacon, meat hot and then cold and then the soup. Thank you – it’s just the weather for it!
Oh my gosh! Other than I didn’t use bones (flipping hard to come by these days!🫤🙄) I made this almost very same soup (in my soup maker)…I know I’m a cheat but it saves time & fuel energy, so I’m quite happy all told😊
Really enjoying your blog and videos. I’d like to try the Wartime Loaf in my bread machine. Could I ask what settings you used?
I set it to wholemeal loaf and 450 g as I only used 1 lb of flour for a loaf that would last me 4 days.. C xxxx
This looks great! I’m so happy/thankful that you are posting more recipes.
Incidentally, do you (or anyone here) have tips on getting UK WWII cookbooks in the US? I have looked pretty thoroughly for a while and have found them either not available or for extremely high prices. I do have a couple of re-prints, but would love to find one or two originals! Thank you!
Hmm leaving the bones out and this will be great for me!
Adding pearl barley to simple soups (or broths) like this is another way of adding to it’s nutrition and heartiness. It also naturally thickens, doing away for any need for Bisto or corn flour.
Mind you, I’ve no idea of the availability or otherwise of pearl barley during wartime.
Oh, a war time recipe, I didn’t know 🙂 This is the basic soup recipe I use, you can use meat (and bone broth) if you want, but this can be made out of basically anything, minced meat, sausages, even fish. A lot of cabbage and tiny morsel of meat – cabbage soup. Or just as vegetable soup. You can use any vegetables, not only root veggies. I add some green powder (dried green veggies powdered in my blender) and sometimes dried ground mushrooms, too.
Same type of soup is served at school lunches here (not UK) and yes, it is supposed to be chunky!
(and yet my children ate noodle soup as luch today…)