Happy Global Scouse Day

You might have heard of the "scouse" accent but have you ever tried scouse, the traditional stew?

Scouse is the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold winters day and really make you feel at home. It's a simple recipe and although it takes that little bit longer to cook, it's a comforting recipe, a great one to share with flatmates and very much worth the wait!

Every year, 28th February marks Global Scouse Day, a celebration of all things Liverpool! So what better time to share a scouse recipe? If you've ordered a Halls Life Activity Pack for 25th Feb, you'll have all the ingredients for veggie scouse delivered straight to your flat door! If you didn't manage to get a pack this week, we've popped the recipe below ⬇️

Since it's Sustainability Week, we've gone for a veggie version of scouse but if you prefer to make it with meat, you can find a recipe here.

Veggie Scouse recipe

Prepare - less than 30 mins

Cook - over 2 hours

Serve - Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 onions, diced

• 2 leek, sliced

• Bay leaves

• 3 potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1.5 litre vegetable stock

• 150g pearl barley, soaked

• 3 carrots, peeled and diced

• 2 small swede, peeled and diced

• Salt and pepper

• Vegetable oil

Things you might want to add if you have them:

- Herbs (fresh thyme is recommended)

- Nutritional yeast flake s(3 tbsp would be suitable for 6 people)

- Soy sauce (vegan option) or Worcestershire sauce (non-vegan option). Just a splash needed.

You can add dumplings to your scouse or serve it with bread. Pickled red cabbage also goes great with scouse and can be found in jars in many large supermarkets.

Fact: Scouse comes from "lobscouse" which is known as a stew eaten by sailors in northern Europe in port cities like Liverpool ⚓

Method

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large pot and add the

bay leaves and any other herbs you want to use. Add the onions and leek and

fry for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, bring 1.5L of

water to a boil and pour in the 30g powdered stock. Simmer this for two

minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Once the onions and leeks are done, add the stock to the pot along with half

of the potatoes and the pearl barley. The nutritional yeast can go in at this

point if you have it. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30

minutes or until the potatoes start to break as this will thicken the scouse.

3. Add the other half of the potatoes, carrots and swede to the pot. Allow the

scouse to simmer for 1-2 hours until it is as thick as you want it to be. If you

have bought dumplings to add to this, put them in about 20 minutes before

you finish cooking.

Remember: Never leave your scouse unattended whilst it's cooking. Avoid your scouse catching on the pan and causing an unwanted fire alarm!

4. Serve the scouse in bowls, and, for the most authentic experience, add a

splash of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce and serve with pickled red

cabbage alongside.

Top Tips

- Make sure all your vegetable peelings are thrown away in your food

waste bin. Alternatively, freeze your peelings for later to use as a

base for a stock or a soup !

- Scouse reheats easily, so save any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3

days and reheat on the hob or in the microwav uentil it reaches 75

degrees. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick!

- The recipe above is fairly traditional, but if you want to add a

personal touch, try it out and let us know your twist by tagging us at

@livunihalls on Instagram!