Celeriac, bacon and barley soup

Celeriac, bacon  and barley soup

This warming winter soup by Georgina Hayden is filled with the comforting aromas of smoky bacon, sweet onions and rosemary. Make double and freeze for another day. And make sure you serve each bowlful with extra crispy bacon bits and a dollop of crème fraîche for creamy richness.

Celeriac, bacon  and barley soup

For a vegetarian celeriac soup, take a look at our spiced celeriac soup recipe.

  • Serves icon Serves 4
  • Time icon Hands-on time 25 min, simmering time 40 min

This warming winter soup by Georgina Hayden is filled with the comforting aromas of smoky bacon, sweet onions and rosemary. Make double and freeze for another day. And make sure you serve each bowlful with extra crispy bacon bits and a dollop of crème fraîche for creamy richness.

For a vegetarian celeriac soup, take a look at our spiced celeriac soup recipe.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
385kcals
Fat
19.2g (10.1g saturated)
Protein
11.5g
Carbohydrates
37g (8.2g sugars)
Fibre
9.1g
Salt
1.8g

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 6 rashers British free-range smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced (see tip)
  • 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 600g celeriac, peeled and chopped into 0.5-1cm chunks
  • 125g pearl barley
  • 1.75 litres good quality vegetable stock
  • 4 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
  • Whole nutmeg for grating
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Method

  1. Heat the butter in a large pan over a medium heat, then fry the bacon and the leaves from 1 rosemary sprig for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Set aside some of the bacon and rosemary to garnish, then add the chopped veg and reduce the heat. Cook gently for 15 minutes until softened. Finely chop the rest of the rosemary leaves and add to the pan for the last 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in the pearl barley and stock, then bring to the boil. Season, then simmer for 40 minutes or until the barley is soft and the soup is thick (see Make Ahead). Taste and season.
  3. Ladle into bowls, add crème fraîche, grate nutmeg over and finish with the reserved bacon and rosemary.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
385kcals
Fat
19.2g (10.1g saturated)
Protein
11.5g
Carbohydrates
37g (8.2g sugars)
Fibre
9.1g
Salt
1.8g

delicious. tips

  1. For a vegetarian soup, omit the bacon and, 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in a large handful of shredded winter greens. Top with grated vegetarian hard cheese.

  2. Don’t reserve any bacon and rosemary in step 1. At the end of step 2, let the soup cool, then cover and chill for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat until piping hot, then add the nutmeg and crème fraîche to finish.

  3. A simple, refreshing Italian white like soave.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Georgina Hayden

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