The winter soup that makes its own stock

This is the old way of making soup, and it's still the best way. You don't need a carton of stock doing all the heavy lifting — the bones in four forequarter chops build the broth themselves, the way it was done before stock came in cartons. The chops simmer whole among the barley and vegetables for a lazy hour and a half, then the meat gets shredded off the bone and stirred back through. What you end up with is a pot of deeply savoury, faintly sweet lamb broth with plump barley and enough body to call itself dinner.

2 hrs 10 mins 4 servings Prep 20 minsCook 1 hr 50 minsSoupAustralian

Ingredients

  • 4 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb forequarter chops
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large brown onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 sticks celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 150g pearl barley, rinsed
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 1 litre water
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • Chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

Heat the oil in your biggest heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chops for about 3 minutes each side; set them aside.

4 forequarter chops1 tbsp olive oil

Drop the heat to medium and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 6 to 7 minutes until softened, adding the garlic for the last minute.

1 onion2 carrots2 sticks celery2 cloves garlic

Return the chops with the barley, stock, water, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam that rises in the first 10 minutes.

150g pearl barley1L chicken stock1L water

Partly cover and simmer very gently for 1.5 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones and the barley is plump and tender.

Lift out the chops, shred the meat off the bones, and discard the bones and any big pieces of fat. Stir the meat back into the pot.

Season generously — barley soups drink up salt — and serve in deep bowls with parsley over the top and buttered bread alongside.

chopped parsley

Appears in

In every lamb share — Forequarter Chops (4 pack)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
From $183.33

Bones Are the Secret Ingredient

The reason this soup tastes like it simmered all day is the bone running through each forequarter chop. As the chops cook, the bones and connective tissue release gelatine into the pot, giving the broth a silky body that meat alone can't manage — it's the same principle behind a proper bone broth, just built into dinner. That's why forequarter chops beat any boneless cut here: you're buying the stock and the meat in one pack. Keep the simmer lazy, too — a hard boil turns broth cloudy and meat stringy, while a few gentle bubbles leave it clear, silky and sweet. Your Farmer® forequarter chops are grass-fed and come four to a pack in every lamb share, and if you catch the broth-making bug, a bag of lamb bones takes the same idea further — the most nourishing thing in your freezer explains the method on the beef side.

Swaps and Variations

Swede or parsnip diced in with the carrots suits the old-fashioned character of this pot. A few handfuls of shredded kale or silverbeet stirred in for the last 5 minutes add some green without changing the soul of it. If barley isn't an option — it does contain gluten — swap in 100g of rice for the last 25 minutes of simmering instead. And a spoonful of split peas alongside the barley nudges the whole pot toward a Scotch broth, which is no bad place to end up.

Storage and Leftovers

The barley keeps drinking broth overnight, so expect the leftovers to be closer to stew than soup — loosen them with a splash of water or stock as they reheat gently on the stove. It keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months in portion-sized containers, which makes it one of the best batch cooks in the lamb repertoire. Leftover idea: reheat it thick, top with a poached egg and call it lunch.

Every box of our pasture-raised lamb share carries a pack of forequarter chops — which means every box carries a pot of this soup, waiting for a cold week.

Frequently asked questions

My leftover soup turned into stew overnight. Did I do something wrong?

Not at all — that's the barley continuing to absorb broth as it sits. Just thin it back to your liking with water or stock when you reheat it.

Is pearl barley gluten-free?

No, barley contains gluten. For a gluten-free version, swap the barley for 100g of white or brown rice added in the last 25 to 35 minutes of simmering.

Why do I need to skim the pot?

The grey foam that rises early on is just coagulated protein — harmless, but it clouds the broth and muddies the flavour. A few passes with a spoon in the first 10 minutes keeps the soup clean and clear.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes. Brown the chops and soften the vegetables first, then combine everything in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Shred the meat back in at the end as written.

Should I trim the fat off the chops first?

Trim any thick outer fat but don't be too thorough — some fat carries the flavour through the broth. Skim the surface at the end, or chill the soup overnight and lift the set fat straight off.

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