good-sized onion, and half a small turnip, and boil these in a quart of
water till they are tender. Rub the whole through a wire sieve, and
thicken the soup with some brown roux till it is as thick as good cream.
Next add a brimming saltspoonful of aromatic flavouring herbs. These herbs
are sold in bottles by all grocers under the name of Herbaceous Mixture.
Flavour the soup with cayenne pepper, a glass of port wine (port wine dregs
will do), dissolve in it a small dessertspoonful of red-currant jelly, and
add the juice of half a lemon.

N.B.--Aromatic flavouring herbs are exceedingly useful in cooking. It is
cheaper to buy them ready made, under the name of Herbaceous Mixture. They
can, however, be made at home as follows:--Take two ounces of white
peppercorns, two ounces of cloves, one ounce of marjoram, one ounce of
sweet basil and one ounce of lemon-thyme, one ounce of powdered nutmeg, one
ounce of powdered mace, and half an ounce of dried bay-leaves. The herbs
must be wrapped up in paper (one or two little paper bags, one inside the
other, is best), and dried very slowly in the oven till they are brittle.
They must then be pounded in a mortar, and mixed with the spices, and the
whole sifted through a fine hair-sieve and put by in a stoppered bottle for
use.


HOTCH-POTCH.--Cut up some celery, onion, carrot, turnip, and leeks into
small pieces and fry them for a few minutes in about two ounces of butter
in a frying-pan, very gently, taking care that they do not in the least
degree turn colour. Previous to this, wash and boil about a quarter of a
pound of pearl barley for four or five hours. When the barley is tender,
or nearly tender, add the contents of the frying-pan. Let it all boil till
the vegetables are tender, and about half an hour before the soup is sent
to table throw in, while the soup is boiling, half a pint of fresh green