Brown Windsor Soup comes from Windsor Castle, and has all the flavors of beef stew. We know you’ll love this British classic!
Brown Windsor soup is a simple British beef soup with vegetables and fresh herbs that tastes like beef stew. It is a rich, hearty and nourishingsoupthat is sometimes finished with a little drop of Sherry, which is often used in English cooking.
A soup that was once very popular, but has since become more rare to see at family meals, it is a warm comforting stew best served with a nice wedge of bread on the side.
The History of Brown Windsor Soup
Derived from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, this soup was served at Windsor Castle (hence the name brown Windsor soup) and was enjoyed by Queen Victoria in the 1800’s. Myself, I had only ever heard of this soup but never tried or seen it on menus and my mum never cooked it for us.
I first heard it referenced in the British comedy TV series from the 1970’s Fawlty Towers. A John Cleese (of Monty Python) series about a not-so-well run hotel by its nightmare owner in the south of England. The soup had become the brunt of comedic jokes and puns.
After my research, I have read that it was served for many years by British Railways in their dining cars that was a particularly unappetizing version which could have led to its demise.
I can see how the color may put people off, but it’s not difficult to make this soup taste delicious and apparently, it’s just as easy to make it taste… not so delicious.
Brown Windsor Soup Recipe
Brown Windsor soup is a long cooking dish. This is to make sure the stewed beef is tender, just like beef stew.
What is a bit unsual about this soup is the blending of it. It’s not usual to blend a soup with chunks of beef but it does help to thicken.
To make brown Windsor soup, you will need:
- Butter- Unsalted butter is used to brown the beef to create the base of this soup
- Beef- Choose beef chuck or bottom round, cut into cubes
- Onions- Finely chopped onions add so much flavor to this brown Windsor soup
- Carrots- Peel the carrots and then dice before adding to the beef along with the onions
- Celery- The celery is also finely chopped before cooking with the carrots and onions
- Flour- All purpose flour helps to thicken the soup
- Beef stock- Choose your favorite beef stock to create the foundation of the soup
- Thyme- Fresh thyme, as possible, will add so much fresh flavor to this comfort food dish
- Tarragon- Finely chopped fresh tarragon is a must for this British soup recipe
- Bay leaf- Fresh bay leaf can be a little trickier to find, so dried is a great substitute
- Salt- Season brown Windsor to taste, using more or less salt to suit your palate
- Black pepper- A big pinch of black pepper, to taste, add so much richness to the seasoning of this soup
Hown to Make Brown Windsor Soup
Brown Windsor soup is really easy to make. It involves a little bit of chopping and dicing, then allowing everything to simmer on the stove so the beef gets super tender and delicious.
While it's cooking, the house will smell so good, making this the perfect dish for your Sunday suppers all fall and winter long.
- Add butter to a heavy saucepan and let it melt over medium heat.
- Add beef and cook until it's beginning to brown, using a spatula to coat it in the butter and as you brown.
- Slice and dice onions, carrots and onion and add them to the saucepan. Cook until with the beef until soft.
- Sprinkle the flour over top and stir the beef and veggies around until coated in the flour.
- Pour in the beef stock and stir.
- Add thyme, tarragon, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer.
- Cover the soup and simmer for at least 2 hours, until the beef is tender.
- Remove 1/3 of the soup and carefully blend in a blender, keeping some of the beef and veggies chunky.
- Return blended soup to the saucepan, stir and simmer.
- Taste for seasoning, add additional salt and black pepper as necessary, then serve.
After making this brown Windsor soup recipe, I am such a fan and I hope it makes a comeback. If you love beef stew, I promise you will love this soup!
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More Classic British Recipes to Try
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- Cawl mamgu recipe
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FAQs
Brown Windsor soup is a simple British beef soup with vegetables and fresh herbs that tastes like beef stew. It is a rich, hearty and nourishing soup that is sometimes finished with a little drop of Sherry, which is often used in English cooking.
What is the most common soup in England? ›
A survey by YouGov in 2011 revealed 37% of brits rated tomato soup as their favourite with men and women of all ages agreeing on this. Potato and leek came in second place with 17% and Chicken followed behind with 16%, but is tomato still the UK's fave?
What is mulligatawny soup made of? ›
It's basically a curry soup, most often made with chicken, vegetables, apples, and rice. Not only is it absolutely delicious, it's the perfect example of how one culture acquires food from another and adapts it to their own taste.
What soups did Victorians eat? ›
Clear Soup, Milk Soup, Ox-Tail Soup, Kidney Soup, and Palestine Soup (made with Jerusalem artichokes). Tomato, Green Pea and Scotch Broth are familiar, but "Tapioca Soup" definitely sounds intriguing! Oxtail, Kidney, and Mulligatawny. Soups, puddings and pastas from grains and potatoes.
What is the most expensive soup? ›
What is the most expensive soup in the world? The most expensive bowl of soup is AnQi Pho, a Vietnamese staple dish that was redone with gourmet ingredients and sold at an auction for a charity fundraiser. The dish went for $5800 a the Bash Benefactor Dinner, with proceeds going to Children's Hospitals in Los Angeles.
What is the national soup of the United States? ›
In the U.S., gumbo is the top national soup, a thick spicy soup from Louisiana. Clam chowder is another.
What is the No 1 soup in the world? ›
According to the Taste Atlas Awards, the international food database, the Filipino favorite, Sinigang, is hailed as the best soup in the world.
What soup does the queen eat? ›
The Queen had a favorite soup… Callaloo…a Carribean soup with callaloo leaves. Callaloo leaves are the leafy tops of the amaranth plant…but you can substitute baby spinach.
What is the most famous soup in the world? ›
10 world soups you need to know
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6 delicious and healthy soups
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Chefs shred the flesh into thick strands, then cook the strips in a broth along with the bones, chicken, Jinhua ham, pork bones, and sometimes fish maw or abalone. To add flavor and cut the gaminess of the snake meat, soup-makers add black mushrooms, ginger, and mandarin peel.
Why is it called mulligatawny? ›
Mulligatawny (/ˌmʌlɪɡəˈtɔːni/) is a soup which originated from South Indian cuisine. The name originates from the Tamil words miḷagu (மிளகு 'black pepper'), and taṇṇi (தண்ணி, 'water'); literally, "pepper-water". It is related to the dish rasam.
What did poor Victorians eat for supper? ›
Poor families ate more carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and porridge oats, as these were cheaper and more filling. Bread with lard or dripping spread across it was a staple meal. Seasonal vegetables were also a large part of their diets. These include onions, turnips, cabbages, apples and parsnips.
What did poor Victorians eat for breakfast? ›
Coffee might be consumed at breakfast even by the poorest, but in the form of chicory/coffee mixture. Breakfast was generally bread, occasionally with butter. For the poorest a sandwich of bread and watercress was the most common. At the start of the week, porridge made with water might be possible.
What soup did peasants eat? ›
This Medieval Pottage Stew is simply another name for a thick, rich, soup often made by Peasants during the Middle Ages. Since peasants were poor, and couldn't afford meat, they used whatever vegetables and grains they could grow to make this soup, often served with a dark, crusty loaf of bread.
What is brown onion soup made of? ›
Ingredients: Starch [Corn and/or Wheat (Gluten)], Monosodium Glutamate (Flavour Enhancer), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein (Soya), Flavourings, Colourant (Caramel), Irradiated Onion (2%) (Preservative: Sulphur Dioxide), Vegetable Oil (Palm Fruit, TBHQ), Flavour Enhancer, Sugar, Acids, Irradiated ...
What soap did Winston Churchill use? ›
That would be Sir Winston Churchill. Britain's bath-loving “Bulldog” of a prime minister died in 1965, but his love of Brown Windsor soap recently set off a market bubble for the sudsy stuff.
What is the brown foam in soup? ›
When soups and stocks are about to boil, proteins start to congeal and create foams that rise to the surface. It's usually whitish or brownish and you need to remove the form as quickly as possible before it boils and mixes up the scum with the soup/stock.
What is the rarest soup in the world? ›
Bird's Nest Soup
This soup is an expensive delicacy in China where it has been enjoyed for over 400 years. Always in high demand, edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products humans consume. Prices can soar to $3,000 per pound. Bird's Nest Soup is made from the nests of a small Southeast Asian bird.
