Ayrshire Tattie and Bacon Soup
A comforting, rustic Ayrshire farm-kitchen soup of tender tatties and savoury bacon simmered in rich milk.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 360 kcal
Equipment
- •Large saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chef's knife
- •Chopping board
- •Potato masher
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 38 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 360 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat on the hob.
- 2
Add the chopped bacon and fry for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.
- 3
Stir in the chopped onion and leek, cooking gently for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- 4
Add the diced tatties (potatoes) and stir well to coat them in the savoury bacon fat.
- 5
Pour in the chicken stock, bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- 6
Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the tatties are tender when pierced.
- 7
Crush roughly half the tatties against the pot with a potato masher to thicken the broth.
- 8
Pour in the whole milk and warm through for 3 to 4 minutes without boiling.
- 9
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- 10
Ladle into warm bowls and scatter fresh chopped parsley over the top.
Chef's tips
Do not let the soup boil after adding the milk, or it may split. Ayrshire new potatoes hold their shape well, but floury maincrops mash easily to create a thicker soup. Taste before adding salt, as bacon offcuts can be naturally salty.
Ingredient substitutions
- Ayrshire bacon offcuts → smoked lardons or chopped unsmoked back bacon
- whole milk → semi-skimmed milk or a splash of single cream
Storage
Keep cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over a low hob heat, stirring often until piping hot without boiling.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the soup vigorously after adding milk, causing the broth to curdle.
- •Cutting potato cubes too large, which delays cooking and makes mashing difficult.
- •Adding too much salt early before the bacon flavours infuse the broth.
Serving suggestions
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