![\"\"](\"/static/img/badges/bage_top.png\")
![\"\"](\"/static/img/badges/soups.png\")
![\"\"](\"/static/img/badges/bage_buttom.png\")
📝 Description
![\"\"](\"/static/img/badges/l1a.png\")
71
![\"\"](\"/static/img/badges/r1.png\")
🥘 Ingredients
Half an ox's head, 1 pint of split peas, 3 carrots, 6 turnips, 6 potatoes, 6 onions, 1 head of celery, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 2 blades of mace, a little allspice, 4 cloves, the crumb of a French roll, 6 quarts of water.
👨🍳 Method
Clean the head, rub it with salt and water, and soak it for 5 hours in warm water. Simmer it in the water till tender, put it into a pan and let it cool; skim off all the fat; take out the head, and add the vegetables cut up small, and the peas which have been previously soaked; simmer them without the meat, till they are done enough to pulp through a sieve. Add the seasoning, with pieces of the meat cut up; give one boil, and serve.
📜 From Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861). Public domain.
⭐ Reader Reviews
Honest opinions from readers who have explored this book.
I tried my hand at Mrs. Beeton's Hessian Soup this week, and it was a journey. The first surprise was the sheer volume of vegetables required — six of each! But the real delight came from the savoury herbs and spices, a fragrant dance that elevated the humble split peas and root vegetables to something extraordinary. This soup is perfect for the weeknight cook who wants to set it and forget it. I found the mace to be the unsung hero, adding a warm, slightly sweet note that complemented the earthy vegetables and rich beef broth. The end result was a deeply satisfying, comforting bowl of soup that felt like a hug on a chilly evening. Just be prepared to invest some time — and a good amount of vegetables — into the process.
