How to Make Soup for the Poor - The Victorian Way 

As always, thanks for watching! We’re glad to see so many of you have enjoyed this episode and intend on trying the recipe at home. We’ve pulled together answers to some of your FAQs below. For those of you asking about a Mrs Crocombe cookbook, be sure to check out this link: bit.ly/37dkKvJ WHAT STOCK SHOULD I USE? Any stock would work well. For a veggie soup, use vegetable stock (and substitute the bacon for something else rich in umami, such as mushrooms). The Victorian kitchen would have had several different grades of stock on hand, from fine white (veal) stock to a general stock made of offcuts of vegetables and spare bones. WHY WOULD YOU USE MINT IN A SAVOURY DISH? Mint is a popular accompaniment to peas. It is often put in pea soup, or in peas pudding. You can use other herbs but it gives the soup a very pleasant bite - we suggest you give it a try and let us know what you think. THAT’S NOT A LOT OF SOUP! SURELY THERE SHOULD BE MORE? Well spotted. We hate to break the magic but this video was filmed in and around 2020. This soup is a scaled down version, as we didn’t want to make an enormous batch that might be wasted. Besides, in 1881, the number of those in need varied widely. Audley End is surrounded by several small villages and one small town. As such, there was no need to feed everyone. THE ROYALS WOULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS, WOULD THEY? They most certainly did. It was an accepted part of how royal food worked, to the point that when Edward VII's coronation was postponed, all the goodies went out to the poor of the parish, who feasted on truffles and foie gras for a few days. You can find out more about this in Dr Annie Gray’s book ‘The Greedy Queen’. COULD THE POOR AFFORD BACON? This soup is for the poor, not for the poor to cook i.e. it is being cooked for them. Bacon was one of the cheapest meats around, often the only meat a poor household would see with any regularity. It punched above its weight, adding salt, flavour and fat. If you can't obtain decent bacon for your kitchen we suggest using some gammon ham.

let’s not lie to ourselves, this is aimed at us

Mom what are we having for dinner? "Soup for the poor, dear"

I love how “soup for the poor” is the only recipe where I can actually get all of the ingredients 😭 She’s calling me out

"Just because one is poor.. (pauses and stares at you) doesn't mean food should be bad." Nervously eats a cup of ramen noodles.

She's not even reading us anymore, she's just straight up calling us poor.

"How to make soup for my viewers"

"Just because one is poor, doesn't mean food should be bad." Bless you, Mrs. Crocombe. I was homeless many years ago and got lucky enough to find work, but have lived in poverty ever since. I learned that beggars should be choosers too, not only the very lucky. Money is not what should determine if one lives or dies, because wealth is entirely based on luck. You can't earn your way into financial stability anymore. At least not here in the United States, where I'm from. It's a financial disaster over here. Anyway, thank you for setting the right example for the world!

I like to imagine I’m a milkmaid who brings milk to the kitchen every day and i she’s let’s me stay an watch her cook

Title: How to make soup for the poor Me: is this for me?

Ms. Crocombe: “How to make soup for the poor.” College students: *furiously scribbling down notes*

Ms. Crocombe: Good morning! Me at 10 pm at night: 👁👄👁 good morning

“Soup for the poor” The staff that had to eat this: 👁👄👁

Mrs. Crocombe has finally decided to stop throwing shade at our low income and feed us

“Just because one is poor, doesn’t mean that food should be bad.” 🍴*FOOD QUOTE OF THE DAY*🍴

A harsh reminder at the end of the realities of Victorian Britain: if you were old, sick or poor and couldn't work, you starved.

I found the last moments of this video surprisingly touching. Although I’m sure many members of the gentry provided for their servants after they could no longer work, they certainly were under no obligation to do so. Mrs. Crocombe’s unblinking assessment of her possible future reflects the harsh reality back then.

"We must always remember that there are no guarantees in life. I have my savings but, one day, I too will grow old and... will be grateful for soup like that." That honestly made me kinda emotional.

When you're so poor you can't even afford ingredients for soup for the poor 😭

The intro music kicks in and I swear to god I can physically feel a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate as my body just passively destresses.

1:48 *Cement* Me: Okay whatever, you're the lady in charge in the kitchen...

Me: why is this on my recommended? *sees title >> ah, because i’m the target audience

*me:* :( *mrs crocombe:* oh! good morning! *me:* :)

5:45 my face when the teacher calls my name and I get the answer right

Wow I just realized I have been making this soup for the poor for years. I got this recipe from my grandma; but she added corn, potatoes, tomatoes and flour as a thickener to her soup. This soup is delicious and easy to make.

Mrs Crocombe: [takes a bite of celery] My wife: THAT'S FOR THE POOR, LADY!

Anyone else kinda tear up *cry like a baby* when she said "I'll get old soon, and be thankful for soup like that"

When she says "some mint", i always hear "cement". That would certainly make the soup more filling.

3:11 "first I'm going to fry the bacon i n butter" What a perfect sentence

i read this as “soap for the poor” and thought she was calling my broke ass smelly

This was the Ramen for the college kids back in the Victorian era

This video hit home. Especially since the pandemic hit. I can appreciate every meal I get and I’m thankful soup is affordable at the store.

Mrs. Crocombe: *lightly taps side of pot before putting away her wooden spatula* me: *bangs pot to the tune of Mario's theme*

Title - "How to Make Soup for the Poor" Thumbnail - Mrs Crocombe glaring directly at me

This is seriously the most wholesome of cooking shows while sassy at the same time.

“Just because you’re poor doesn’t mean you should be given bad food” Honestly that’s really true - I also don’t know if that’s exactly what she said tbh I’m too lazy to check lol

My grandma used to make a blended version of this soup. I make it now except I add potatoes and sometimes other left over root veggies to save on food waste. Once it's all cooked it can be blended with a stick blender to make a wonderful thick filling soup.

Every time Mrs. Crocombe has something to say about “poor people”, “not very good”, she looks right into your eyes.

A Netflix series regarding the life of Ms. Crocombe would be nice. **Edit: the likes below shows the demand.

I'm wondering what "soup for the rich" would look like...

"First I'm going to fry the bacon in butter." Oh, so it's a healthy recipe.

"I too one day will grow old, and will be grateful for soup like that." MRS CROCOMBE NO We must make a gofundme for Mrs. Crocombe's retirement fund.

“Just because someone is poor, doesn’t mean food should be bad” - Me crying and eating ramen noodle for the whole week

6:40 Such a beautiful message 🙏❤

I love how she sneaks a piece of celery when she’s making a poor person soup, but any other episode she doesn’t eat anything 😂

"There we are: soup for the poor." I felt that.

"When you're hungry, everything tastes good." ~John Witherspoon

OMG a video made for me?! I'm so honored 😍

I love that she doesn't even need to tell us it's good. She just nods like "y'all know how I do".

“We must always remember that there are no guarantees in life. I have my savings, but I too one day will grow old and will be grateful for soup like that.” Damn.

I've made this yesterday, but instead of using split peas, I've used green lentils (picket up the wrong packet, the split peas were next to the lentils, so I had to use them instead 🙈). I've also added garlic, a bit thyme, 2 bay leaves and green onions - and let me tell you: The soup turned out SO SO delicious, that my boyfriend ate less to ensure he can eat a really large portion today! 🤤🤤🤤😂 Thank you for the gorgeous recipe, dear Mrs. Crocombe 🙏🏻 💙 So because the lentils worked out great in this soup, I assume you can swap out any dried legumes to your personal liking 😁

"First I'm going to fry the bacon in butter." Now that's what I'm talking about!

When ever she says “for this recipe you will need” I feel like I’m getting instructions for a mission

Just because one is poor doesn’t mean food should be bad A high class bakery in my city donates their leftover desserts to the homeless shelter so the people we serve can have a nice dessert. This is why when you donate, you should donate something you would eat. Everyone deserves to enjoy life.

"Just because one is poor, doesn’t mean that food should be bad." Terrific quote.

I made this soup, and I must say it was consumed within an hour. It's simple and heart-warming. I think I'm going to make this often and this is definitely going to be added to my recipe collections. Thank you for this recipe!

“Just because one is poor, doesn’t mean that food should be bad.” Aldi should use this as their slogan

"i like to season my soup very well" *britain colonized like half the planet for spices so i hope so*

5:01 that's my motto in life

Peas are legumes and bread is made of wheat, which is a grain. Together, these two combinations form a complementary protein, making it a complete protein, with all 8 essential amino acids.

Sees ingredients list "Well I've got the water at least."

I refuse to let Ms Crocombe eat soup for the poor when she retires. Someone make a GoFundme so she can buy the manor house

I am obsessed w her 😀 I love her shades of persnickity. I never knew I would be so fascinated w Victorian Cooking. God I'm old.

My family and I make leftovers soup. We get any meat and veggie from the past week and use any noodle and make soup with any stock. It’s so good and such a great use for leftovers!

Watching this in 144p just to make it more realistic

"Soup for the poor" My time has finally come

Let's just appreciate the time and effort they made to go back in the past and come back fo the present

Am I the only one who thinks that this soup looks/sounds great

i love her voice makes me want to go back to that century then i remember im black and i forget about it

Mrs. Crocombe at this point in the narrative had no idea that she would marry and leave service. I'm glad that she ended up in a good place, and not poor or destitute.

I'll never get tired of Mrs. Crocombe being caught surprised at the beginning of every video.

I tried the soup I didn't like the peas very much so I made a second soup and instead I added potatoes instead of peas and I also added some garlic and a little bit of corn and it was pretty good

Everyday I make soup for the poor. I call it, “making my lunch”.

“And I’m going to add a little mint to lift the flavor.” *adds a bowl of mint* INSTANT REFRESHER

ok,was this filmed a 100 years ago!!!the videography makes me timetravel!!

I have made this soup several times now and the whole family loves it. Thank you so much! Love watching your videos.

“I’ll add just a little mint” *throws in everything she found in the garden*

I’m tired of liking every single comment from y’all 😂😂

I could feel my Cholesterol levels rose as she added the bacon into the butter.

A good classic recipe. The addition of mint intrigued me, I’ll have to try that. It’s good this is just an acting because that wee pot of soup wouldn’t feed many.

"college students had entered the chat."

Finally a recipe that is suitable for a person of my class

Mrs. Crocombe has an authoritative, yet calming presence.

I am loving this channel so much!! And this soup...omg I make it all the time. My grandmother taught me how to make it and passed the recipe on to me.

*I too one day will grow old, and will be grateful for soup like that* The way that she briskly went back to work after saying those lines as if trying ro ignore the fact that that fate is going to bestow upon her one day breaks my heart😢😢

From a loyal customer for ramen: the Victorian poor eats better than me

How to make soup for the poor: alternatively known as how to make soup for yourself

I just absolutely love watching you. Makes me feel peaceful.

Mrs. C straight up shading her employers at the end there: "I save what little I can, but at the salary rate these a-holes are paying me I'll be lucky if someone drops some poor people's soup at my doorstep when I'm old"

I started watching this as I was lying recuperating after a serious brain operation. I can safely say that this lady and this series bears a huge responsibility for my recovery. Now, whenever I hear the opening tune I go into a deep feeling of well being. Many thanks all who make this wonderful series.

저게 당근.셀러리.양파-통칭(미루포아)를 해 고기기름과 미루포아 채소스톡에 육수와 단백역활까지하는 콩을 집어넣으니 당연히 많은 양에 든든하게 먹을 수 있는 거 같네요 역시 옛 요리사들의 노력이 저런 조리법으로서 300~500년이 지난 이후에도 쓰이고있다는거 존경스럽습니다

Thank you as usual for your beautifully made and informative video's. You show and explain very well,this soup I am certainly going to make through winter,it looks nice and tasty.I love all the background with all the old style cooking equipment.Stay safe and keep up with your great videos.Thanks again 👍👍👍👍

This video called me poor in *three time periods.*

"First I'm going to fry the bacon in butter" Okay you have my attention

These videos are not long enough! @englishheritage I am hooked and just ordered the cookbook, should be here any day now. Love from America

5:24 Her: And I would like to add a little mint to lift the flavor. Her: *Added a hell lot of mint*

“Just because one is poor doesn’t mean that food should be bad” I FELT THAT.

this video ends on such a downer "haha don't forget I dedicated my life to serving these rich people, but there's no pension and no social safety net, so one day I'll probably be a poor beggar and the most they'll give me is a bowl of soup"

Thank you very much for teaching all of us to appreciate everything we have and to be Humble in life. Your final message has slapped me hard !

I'm from Philippines and I love your videos, thanks for sharing- love history! ❤️