Tender lamb, wholesome vegetables and the nuttiness of the barley makes this lamb shank and barley soup a delicious and comforting winter warmer.

ALL the ingredients for this recipe are now available at your local Ritchies supermarket. Find your local VIC, NSW or QLD store.

 lamb shank and barley soup

• 3 meaty lamb shanks
• ¾ cup pearl barley, washed through a sieve
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, thoroughly washed and finely sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 turnip, peel and diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 litres of water
• 2 beef stock cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup chopped parsley

Pat the shanks dry with paper towel and season well with salt and pepper. Using a deep, heavy-based pot, heat the oil and brown the shanks all over on a medium/high heat. Set the shanks aside once browned in a shallow dish. Turn the temperature down to medium and add the leek, carrots, celery, turnip and potatoes to the pot and sauté, stirring often, until soft. Add the shanks and any juice back to the pot and then cover with the water. Pour in the pearl barley ,thyme and bay leaf, then sprinkle the stock cubes into the water. Keep the soup on a gentle simmer for around 1.5 -2 hours or until the meat easily comes away from the bone. Take the shanks out of the soup and put aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bone and chop into small chunks then return it to the soup. Bring back to a gentle boil then remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper then add the chopped parsley. Serve hot with crusty bread. Serves 6