Brown Windsor soup

Brown Windsor soup is a hearty British soup that was popular during the Victorian and Edwardian eras.[1]

The soup generally contains lamb or beef steak, parsnips, carrots, leeks, bouquet garni and Madeira wine.[2] Traditionally, the meat, vegetables and broth are processed (either via a blender, or rubbed through a sieve) into a thick blend.[3]

Brown Windsor soup was one of the starter dishes on the menu at the fictional Fawlty Towers, although it has fallen out of fashion since the 1980s[4] and with the advent of nouvelle cuisine.

Horace Rumpole tried to order Brown Windsor soup while taking a train journey in "Rumpole and the Alternative Society" - Rumpole of the Bailey (series 1, episode 2).

Fictional character Hercule Poirot orders brown windsor soup in the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas'. Upon receiving the soup, Poirot remarks " But it does not look very delicieux", to which the waiter replies " Well, sir, it IS brown windsor soup".

References

  1. ^ Hibbert, Christopher. Queen Victoria: A Personal History. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 469. ISBN 0-306-81085-9. 
  2. ^ Melanie Eclare; Tom Petherick. Heligan : A Portrait of the Lost Gardens. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 74. ISBN 0-297-84344-3. 
  3. ^ Renold, Edward; Fuller, John (1992). The chef's compendium of professional recipes. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 67. ISBN 0-7506-0490-5. 
  4. ^ "Brown Windsor soup". The Independent. 6 November 2004. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/brown-windsor-soup-532010.html. Retrieved 28 July 2010.