RECIPES

Scouse is proper easy to make. It’s an inclusive and adaptable dish that anybody can enjoy. What’s that? You’re a vegan? No worries la, we have a traditional version of scouse called “blind scouse” just for you!

Beef / Lamb Scouse

Some swear by beef, others by lamb. It’s really up to you. Some use a bit of both!

2 large onions
500g beef or lamb, cubed
500g potatoes
250g carrots
Stock cubes
Flour
Cooking oil
Water
Pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage
Crusty bread

You can play with the quantities depending on how many hungry mouths you have to feed, just try to keep it at a ratio of around 1:1 for the meat and the potatoes and half that value for any other vegetables you want to throw in.

  1. Peel the onions, potatoes and the carrots
  2. Cut the carrots and onions up into nice big chunks
  3. Cut most of the potatoes into nice big chucks, but pick a few to slice very thinly – these’ll break down and thicken the gravy.
  4. Dust the meat with flour
  5. Get a big pot, stick it on the hob, add a drop of cooking oil
  6. Add the onion and heat for a minute or so until soft
  7. Add the meat, stir and heat for a few minutes until it’s sealed
  8. Rub in a stock cube or two
  9. Add the rest of the veggies. Throw in some salt and pepper and stir it up good!
  10. Add enough water to cover the meat and the veggies
  11. Bring to a boil, turn the heat right down and allow to bubble away for ~3 hours, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired thickness. Don’t put a lid on it!

Be careful not to let the food stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more salt and pepper as desired. A splash of Worcestershire sauce usually goes down a treat an’ all. Scouse is very reheatable, but if it starts getting a bit too thick just add more water.

Serve with the pickled beetroot or red cabbage and crusty bread.

Blind (Veggie) Scouse

Back in the day, meat was a luxury, and something the vast majority of Liverpudlians could rarely afford, so what we’d now call the “vegetarian” version of scouse was actually the norm. Even better: it’s 100% vegan and gluten free. Don’t tell Piers Morgan, the little meff will ‘ave a proper fit.

2 large onions
500g swede
500g potatoes
250g carrots
250g sweet potatoes
Cooking oil
Water
Pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage

You can play with the quantities depending on how many hungry mouths you have to feed, just try to keep it at a ratio of around 1:1 for the swede and the potatoes and half that value for any other vegetables you want to throw in.

  1. Clean and peel the swede, onions, potatoes and the carrots – keep the peel and chuck it in a big pot.
  2. Pour a kettle full of boiling water over the peel and stick on the hob on a high heat… let it boil away while you…
  3. Cut the swede, carrots and onions up into nice big chunks
  4. Cut most of the potatoes into nice big chucks, but pick a few to slice very thinly – these’ll break down and thicken the gravy
  5. Grab another big pot, stick it on the hob, add a drop of cooking oil
  6. Add the onion and heat for a minute or so until soft
  7. Add the rest of the veggies. Throw in some salt and pepper and stir it up good!
  8. Add enough of the boiling peel water to cover the veggies. Don’t add the peel though. Pour it through a sieve or something.
  9. Bring the main scouse pot to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow to bubble away with no lid on for ~3 hours until it reaches your desired thickness, stirring occasionally.

Don’t let the food stick to the bottom of the pot! Add salt and pepper as desired. A splash of vegan Worcestershire sauce usually goes down a treat, but you can live without it. Scouse is awesomely reheatable, but if it starts getting too thick just add more water.

Serve with the pickled beetroot or red cabbage and crusty bread.