Barley & Oat Gruel with Brown Butter Leeks

Barley Grain Grains Naked Barley oats Pearl Barley Porridge Oats Rolled Oats soup Soups

by Josiah Meldrum & Nick Saltmarsh October 16, 2026

Try gruel! Enjoy this recipe from our new book Whole Food - we're not sure when a cookbook last included a recipe for gruel.

Unjustly maligned as miserable sustenance, gruel is just the simplest and earliest of soups. At heart, gruel is a warming and nourishing meal, but it is so easy and economical to make that it became associated with poverty and institutional food. Our recipe shows just how comforting and flavoursome gruel can be. Forget thin and watery, this gruel of barley and oats is velvety, silky, and elevated by nutty browned butter and caramelised leeks.

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

75g Pearl Naked Barley
800ml vegetable or mushroom stock
75g Jumbo or Rolled Oats
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Leeks

80g unsalted butter
2 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
Pinch of sea salt
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked (plus extra to serve)
2 tsp cider vinegar

Method

Put the pearl barley and vegetable stock into a saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook for 25–30 minutes until starting to soften.
Add the oats and continue cooking for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until creamy and thick. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.
In a separate pan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then continue cooking, swirling the pan, until it turns nut-brown and aromatic.
Immediately add the sliced leeks, salt, and thyme, and cook slowly for 15 minutes until soft and caramelised.
Stir in the cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, then remove from the heat.
Spoon the hot gruel into warm bowls, top with the brown butter leeks, more picked thyme leaves, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then serve.

Also in Recipes for Pulses, Grains, Seeds, Flakes, Flour, Ferments...

Author: India Matthews Flageolet Beans Squash

Braised Flageolet Beans with Cavolo Nero & Squash

November 04, 2026

A comforting, seasonal braise of creamy flageolet beans and roasted squash, topped with fresh herbs and pine nuts.

Author: Julius Fiedler Comfort Food Green Lentils lentils Mediterranean Pulses Vegan

Pasta e Lenticchie

October 29, 2026

This comforting Italian classic comes from the new book Naturally Vegan by Julius Fiedler. Tender green lentils and ditaloni pasta simmer together in a fragrant soffritto base with warm chilli, tomato purée, and olive oil to create a deeply satisfying, rustic one-pot dish.

Author: Josiah Meldrum & Nick Saltmarsh Fava Bean Flour Fava Flour Flour Gluten Free Gluten-free Option Indian Pulse Flour Pulses Side Dish Snack Snacks Vegetarian

Onion & Fava Bhajis

October 16, 2026

This recipe from our book Whole Food uses fava bean flour for crisp, deep-golden bhajis with a distinctively earthy flavour, served alongside a cool, refreshing cucumber raita.

Looking for our trade website?

Spill the beans!

Get in touch at hello@hodmedods.co.uk or 01986 467567

Things sometimes go wrong but we'll always do our best to put it right. Please contact us to let us know if there's any problem with an order.

For further details please see our Terms of Service, Returns, Refunds and Exchanges Policy and Privacy Policy.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details.

Registered in England and Wales as Hodmedod Ltd, The Studios, London Road, Brampton, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 8DQ, UK; company number 08151811.