Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes

Meat Soup

This traditional British soldiers' soup is almost a complete meal in itself.

Origin: Fort Lennox National Historic Site
Region: Quebec
Period: 19th century
Course: Soups and Starters

Painting of Fort Lennox
© Library and Archives Canada, accession no. 1970-088-1. C-036685. Artist: Rutherford, R.W.

A simple dish like Meat Soup would have been standard fare for British soldiers stationed at Fort Lennox in the 19th century. Nearly all of the ingredients would have been grown and raised at and near the Fort. The recipe actually hails from England and appeared in a book entitled Instructions to Military Cooks, published in 1878 by the British Defense Ministry's War Office. Today, visitors to Fort Lennox National Historic Site are often offered the opportunity to sample this dish and get a taste of life as a soldier.

Meat Soup

Ingredients

• 8 oz | 250 g of meat (beef or pork), cut in pieces
• 1 quart | 1 litre of water
• 3oz | 75 g potatoes
• 3oz | 75 g onions
• 2oz | 60 g carrots
• 4 oz | 110 g flour
• 1 tsp | 5 g pepper
• 1 tsp | 5 g sugar
• ½ oz | 10 g herbs
• ¼ cup | 60 ml vegetable oil

Directions

• Slice the onions and put the fat in the boiler. When melted, add the onions and stir them well so they do not get brown, about five minutes. Add the meat, stirring continually for about five minutes longer. Slowly add the water to the boiler. Add the potatoes and carrots and let simmer gently for about one hour.
• Mix the flour with cold water before adding to the boiler. Add the pepper, the sugar and herbs and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent the flour settling at the bottom.

Credits

Recipe tested by Chef David Fairbanks, Algonquin College of Hospitality and Tourism

The original recipe comes from the book Instructions to Military Cooks published by the British War Office in 1878.

Painting of Fort Lennox
© Library and Archives Canada, accession no. 1970-088-1. C-036685. Artist: Rutherford, R.W.

A simple dish like Meat Soup would have been standard fare for British soldiers stationed at Fort Lennox in the 19th century. Nearly all of the ingredients would have been grown and raised at and near the Fort. The recipe actually hails from England and appeared in a book entitled Instructions to Military Cooks, published in 1878 by the British Defense Ministry's War Office. Today, visitors to Fort Lennox National Historic Site are often offered the opportunity to sample this dish and get a taste of life as a soldier.

Meat Soup

Ingredients

• 8 oz | 250 g of meat (beef or pork), cut in pieces
• 1 quart | 1 litre of water
• 3oz | 75 g potatoes
• 3oz | 75 g onions
• 2oz | 60 g carrots
• 4 oz | 110 g flour
• 1 tsp | 5 g pepper
• 1 tsp | 5 g sugar
• ½ oz | 10 g herbs
• ¼ cup | 60 ml vegetable oil

Directions

• Slice the onions and put the fat in the boiler. When melted, add the onions and stir them well so they do not get brown, about five minutes. Add the meat, stirring continually for about five minutes longer. Slowly add the water to the boiler. Add the potatoes and carrots and let simmer gently for about one hour.
• Mix the flour with cold water before adding to the boiler. Add the pepper, the sugar and herbs and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent the flour settling at the bottom.

Credits

Recipe tested by Chef David Fairbanks, Algonquin College of Hospitality and Tourism

The original recipe comes from the book Instructions to Military Cooks published by the British War Office in 1878.