The shanks make the broth, then become the soup — two jobs, one pot

Some soups you build on a stock cube. This one builds its own. Two lamb shanks go into the pot with the vegetables and simmer away for a couple of hours, the bones and marrow turning plain water into a broth with real backbone. Then you lift the shanks out, shred the meat that's fallen off the bone, and stir it back through — and suddenly a humble winter soup is one of the most satisfying dinners in the repertoire. It's mostly hands-off, it feeds four with bread on the side, and it's the sort of pot you're glad to find leftovers of the next day.

2 hrs 50 mins 4 servings Prep 20 minsCook 2 hrs 30 minsSoupAustralian

Ingredients

  • 2 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb shanks
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 sticks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 leek, sliced and well washed
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 400g tin diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 litres chicken or beef stock
  • 500ml water
  • 1 large potato, diced
  • 1/2 small swede or turnip, diced
  • 80g pearl barley, rinsed
  • Chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Instructions

Season the shanks well. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown them all over, 8 to 10 minutes, then set aside.

2 lamb shanks2 tbsp olive oil

Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion, carrot, celery and leek for 8 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute more.

1 onion2 carrots2 sticks celery1 leek

Add the thyme, bay leaves, tinned tomatoes, stock and water, then return the shanks. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 1 hour 30 minutes.

400g tomatoes1.5L stock500ml water

Add the potato, swede and barley, and simmer, partly covered, for 45 minutes more, until the vegetables and barley are tender and the meat is leaving the bone.

1 potato80g pearl barley

Lift the shanks out onto a board. Shred the meat off the bones, discard the bones and bay leaves, and stir the meat back into the soup.

Season the soup well to taste, then ladle into bowls and scatter with parsley. Crusty bread alongside.

fresh parsley

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Two Shanks, a Broth and a Meal

The clever part of this soup is that the shanks do double duty. They're the lamb's lower legs — bony, marrow-rich and full of connective tissue — which makes them poor for a quick cook but ideal for a long simmer. As they cook, the bones give up gelatine and the marrow seasons the pot, so you get a broth with genuine body and a savoury depth no stock cube delivers. Then the meat itself, fallen tender off the bone, gets shredded straight back in. Pearl barley thickens it into something you can stand a spoon in, and the winter roots — potato, swede, carrot — make it a full dinner. Grass-fed shanks from Your Farmer® give the most flavour to a broth like this; they come two to the pack in the Share B pack of our grass-fed meat boxes.

Swaps and Variations

No swede? Parsnip or extra carrot slots straight in. Swap the barley for a tin of drained cannellini beans (added in the last 20 minutes) for a gluten-free version, or use small pasta instead. A parmesan rind dropped in with the stock adds another layer of savoury depth. This same method turns lamb bones or the frame from a roast into a broth base if you want to build the soup around a smaller amount of meat. A squeeze of lemon or a spoon of harissa at the table lifts each bowl.

Storage and Leftovers

Soup like this is even better the next day, once the flavours have settled and the barley has swelled. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months — it will thicken as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of water or stock when reheating. It reheats gently on the stove or in the microwave, and a batch will happily cover a couple of weeknight dinners or a run of work lunches. If you want to keep the winter soup pot going, a spare pack of shanks in the freezer is never wasted.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Yes — brown the shanks and soften the vegetables in a pan first, then transfer everything except the potato, swede and barley to the slow cooker for 7 hours on low. Add those three for the final 90 minutes so they don't turn to mush, then shred and stir the meat back in.

Do I have to use pearl barley?

No — it adds body and a lovely chew, but you can leave it out or swap in small pasta, rice or a tin of drained beans. If you skip it, the soup will be a little thinner and more brothy, which some people prefer.

Two shanks feels like a lot of bone for four bowls. Is there enough meat?

There's plenty once it's shredded — shanks carry more meat than they look, and the vegetables and barley bulk the soup out considerably. Shredding rather than leaving it in chunks spreads it evenly through every bowl.

Can I make the broth a day ahead?

Absolutely — simmer the shanks with the aromatics, cool and refrigerate overnight (any fat sets on top and lifts off easily), then reheat, add the potato, swede and barley, and finish the soup the next day. The broth is all the better for the rest.

How do I make it thicker or thinner?

For thicker, let it simmer uncovered a little longer or mash a few of the cooked potato pieces against the side of the pot. For thinner, add more stock or water; it naturally thickens as the barley absorbs liquid, especially once refrigerated.

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