Barley Soup. Time—4 hours.

2 quarts water or pot-liquor, ¼ lb. pearl barley, 2 onions, 2 carrots, a little chopped parsley; salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the vegetables, put them with the other ingredients into a saucepan, and simmer gently for 3 or 4 hours.

Brown Onion Soup. Time—1½ hour.

3 onions, 1 oz. dripping, 1 teaspoonful flour, 1½ pint water or pot-liquor; pepper, salt and soy to taste.

Skin the onions, cut them into small dice, heat the dripping, and throw in the onions, shaking them about over the fire till they are golden brown (they must be coloured very slowly or some pieces will get too dark). When they are brown stir in the flour carefully, and add the water or pot-liquor. Simmer for an hour, then rub through a sieve, return to the saucepan, add a little soy, pepper and salt to taste, and boil for 3 minutes before serving.

If these directions are carefully followed this soup is equal to one made from good stock.

1 quart water or pot-liquor, 1½ lb. carrots, 4 onions, 2 oz. dripping; salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the vegetables, slice them, then fry them in the dripping. Add the water or pot-liquor, salt and pepper. Boil till the vegetables are tender, then pulp through a sieve into a basin. Heat again and serve with fried bread.

Lentil Soup. Time—3 or 4 hours.

5 pints water, 1 pint red lentils, 1 onion, 3 sticks of celery or some celery seed, 1 oz. dripping; pepper and salt to taste.

The lentils must be soaked all night in cold water. Melt the dripping in a saucepan, fry the lentils, sliced onion, and celery cut in small pieces. Stir over the fire for 5 minutes. Then add the water and boil gently, stirring occasionally, till the lentils are quite soft. Pass all through a sieve, return to the saucepan, add the pepper and salt, and heat again.

Pea Soup. Time—2½ hours.

1 pint split peas, 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 3 sticks celery, 2 quarts water or pot-liquor; salt and pepper to taste. Bones or trimmings from meat are a great improvement.

Soak the peas over-night; next morning put them on in the cold water or pot-liquor. Bring to the boil, and then add the prepared vegetables, bones, and seasoning. Skim well, and boil for 1½ hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the bones, and pulp the soup through a sieve. Heat it again, and serve with dried mint and fried bread.

Spinach Soup. Time—2 hours.

3 lbs. spinach, 1 quart water or stock, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoonful flour.

Wash the spinach in several waters, strip off the leaves and place them in a saucepan of cold water with a little salt, and boil till tender (about ½ hour). Pulp through a hair sieve with the water in which it was boiled; boil it up again in a clean stew-pan, thicken carefully with the flour, cook for 10 minutes, and serve with poached eggs.

1 quart water or pot-liquor, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 3 sticks celery, a few sifted herbs, 1 oz. dripping, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 teaspoonful mustard; salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the vegetables, cut them into slices, fry them in the dripping, add the water or pot-liquor, the salt, pepper, and herbs. Boil till quite tender, mix the flour and mustard to a cream with the cold water, and add to the soup. Simmer for half an hour longer and then serve.