There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children,
She didn’t know what to do.
So she gave them some broth,
Without any bread,
And whipped them all soundly
And sent them to bed.
Charlotte's Granny's Soup
We would eat a lot of stew, soup, bridies,
pies, white meal puddings (kind of like a sausage filled with oatmeal but not nearly so
full of stuff as haggis - I can only once remember buying "black pudding" since
that's the one, like German blutwurst, that has blood in it). Our table saw a lot of
luncheon meats like roast beef, and its fair share of sausages (not nearly so spicy as
American ones), including a pork and red food coloring based sausage called "Lorne
Sausage", sausage rolls, etc.
You know, I remember going with my mother to
the "pudding man" who made the oatmeal sausages and I'm wondering now, almost 50
years later, if the reason my mother "liked" those puddings so much and ate them
so often might not have been so that I could enjoy the better food, the elocution and
speech classes, the private shorthand lessons. Thanks, Mum, for giving me those things.
I remember the days when my Granny would make
soup. She would send me to the butcher and ask for a "nice marrow bone". This
soup bone would go into the pot with potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, barley and
anything else Granny thought would be good in it, and everything would just cook together.
Sometimes she would add barley to make this a "Scotch Broth."
The part I liked the best was when the
vegetables were cooked and Granny would strain some out of the pan and give me this great
big plate of hot, fresh, veggies with a great big pat of butter on it. I remember mashing
this up and really loving that meal. The soup would cook a little longer and last us for
several days. Oh, my Granny was a great cook. And that's your soup recipe - but, remember,
the most important part is building up memories with your grandchildren.
Charlotte's Granny's Pea Soup
1 ham shank 8 oz green split peas 1 small
onion
Soak ham shank overnight if salted, then add
to 3 quarts fresh water, split peas, chopped onion. Bring to a slow boil and simmer 3
hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat and enjoy on a cold wintry day.
Lots of soup, on lots of cold wintry days,
was eaten at 7 Hill Street, Dundee, made by my granny for me, and my granny’s granny,
Jessie Hackett Beat McIntosh, for her family.
This is our house about the time we were moved for urban
development/clearances and the planned multi-storey housing was built at the Top of the
Hill.
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