Hearty and filling, this traditional soup from the wild and remote Shetland Islands is made from reestit mutton, a salted and brined preserved mutton unique to the islands.
Calling Shetland home
Come this Spring I’ll have called Shetland home for twenty years. Seven of those I have been tinkering away at this food blog. I can not believe, after all these years of blogging, I’ve never shared the recipe for Shetland’s unofficial national dish: reestit mutton soup.
Well, truth be told, I have shared the recipe before, but over on the old Taste of Shetland website run by Shetland.org. I shared a recipe I’d picked up nearly twenty years ago at the long-since closed Globe Butchers in Lerwick.
It’s nigh time I shared it, well, my own version of it, here.
What is Reestit Mutton?
Reestit Mutton is a variation of the Scandinavian skerpikjøt, an air-dried mutton, or vivda, Norse for ‘leg meat’.
It is a traditional Shetland way of preserving mutton with salt for consumption during the winter months. The mutton was first salted in brine and was then traditionally hung in the rafters (reest) of houses, where the peat smoke would add flavour and help preserve the meat.
Each butcher has its own secret recipe for making reestit mutton, but before the middle of the 1970s, this process was something done at home. Reestit mutton can still be seen hanging in butchers’ windows and in sheds around rural Shetland.
Now, you can buy reestit mutton online from the Scalloway Butchers. They do mail orders!
Ingredients needed for reestit mutton soup
- Reestit mutton – you can only get this from Shetland.
- floury potatoes – I prefer J.K. Mainland’s rooster potatoes.
- turnip (or neeps)
- carrots
- onion
- water (or lamb stock)
- butter (not part of the traditional recipe)
- good quality stock
How to make reestit mutton soup
- Boil your reestit mutton for two hours. Discard all but a ladleful of water.
- Chop the reestit mutton into small pieces.
- Heat butter in a stock pot and saute the onions and carrots until softened (for the traditional recipe you skip this step).
- Add the rest of the vegetables, the water (or lamb stock) and a ladleful of the cooking water.
- Simmer until the vegetables are tender and mash with a potato masher to thicken the broth, leaving some larger vegetable pieces.
- Add the reestit mutton and heat through. Serve with buttered bread or bannocks.
The first time I’d ever tried reestit mutton soup was during the annual Up Helly Aa celebrations.
It was running late into the night and there was a very busy group of women in the local hall I was at serving polystyrene cups full of piping hot reestit mutton soup and trays of salt beef bannocks to the revellers.
It was a very welcome midnight feast, and kept us going for a few more hours yet.
A good soup needs a good stock pot, and I use a copper tri-ply pot from ProWare Kitchen. They sent me their range of pots and pans nearly ten years ago and they’re still going strong. In fact, they’re just as good as they were when they arrived, and I use them nearly every day!
Over the years they’ve developed that characteristic copper burnish, which I love, but I could (if I fancied) bring them up to their original shine.
Have you tried reestit mutton soup? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Shetland Reestit Mutton Soup
Ingredients
- 200 grams reestit mutton cooked and cooled weight (2 lb uncooked with bone)
- 25 grams butter (optional)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 200 grams carrots (4 medium carrots)
- 300 grams potatoes (about two medium-sized ones)
- 225 grams turnip (half a turnip)
- 2 pints water (I use lamb stock)
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Equipment
Instructions
- To cook the reestit mutton, place it into a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring it to the boil and continue to boil for two hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the water and reserve a ladleful for the soup.
- Meanwhile, chop all of the vegetables into small dice.
- Heat butter, if using, in a large soup pot. Saute the onions and carrots over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes or so, until the onions are softened.
- Add the remaining vegetables, the water (or lamb stock) and the reserved water from cooking the reestit mutton. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Mash some of the vegetables with a potato masher to thicken the broth, leaving some larger pieces for texture. Add the shredded reestit mutton and heat through.
- Serve with buttered bread or bannocks.
Pin this reestit mutton soup recipe for later!
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Just made this – absolutely delicious. I had some left over broth from boiling the reestit which I used to cook some rice in – OMG!!!! Mutton rice. It’s a revelation. Honestly – you have to try this.
That’s actually a genius idea, I will definitely be trying that out!! Delighted to hear you’ve enjoyed the soup too!
love how it can go from hob to oven makes things easier to braise and simmer slowly to gain flavour
This pot looks fab – love a large pot for stews and soups so you can make plenty of extra portions!
I’d love one of these stockpots – it would be great for making family meals in
I would make a lovely beef stew, it is one of our favourites
really tasty idea
The recipe sounds lovely. I have had plenty of lamb stews but never tried mutton before. I’ll certainly look out for it in the future x
I have never cooked mutton before but it looks a nice recipe to warm up with
What a fabulous recipe. The Reestit Mutton looks absolutely delicious and I must search some out. It reminds me of eating a Bhutanese dried pork curry which I really enjoyed and I think it’s the concentration of the wonderful sheepy flavour which makes it more appealing, it must smell divine.
Looks a tasty soup, I love root vegetables in soup, but have never tasted reestit mutton before.
I haven’t had mutton soup for such a long time. Thank you for the recipe
I don’t eat Mutton but the stock-pot looks amazing. It’s very similar to one I have that is used all the time & being able to use it as a casserole too, just makes it so versatile.
Oh I’ve not had mutton for years!! I love eating it, I’m going to have to get some and try this recipe! Thank you.
I love mutton and the sauce with awesome vegetables. Perfect winter meal.
Looks delicious the soup would definitely try some of these recipes out expecially the mutton soup
Delicious recipes. I want to make tasty homemade soups and stews. Following your various recipes and this amazing stockpot will help me.
I want to make tasty homemade soups and stews. Your various recipes and this amazing stockpot will help me.
I think this pot would be excellent for cooking my soups in
This recipe sounds delicious – just need to get hold of some of that mutton, and off I go!
I think this recipe sounds sounds lovely and i personally would love to try it too.
love this soup recipe – mutton is very underused and is such a tasty meat
Love this Pot!
I must admit that whilst I do make soup, I don’t think I’ve ever made a soup with mutton. The recipe looks like it would result in a very warming and nourishing winter soup.
Love mutton and love this pot
What a gorgeous Stock pot! I love cooking with copper and they look stunning on the kitchen shelf too
That looks delicious! There is nothing better in autumn than a hot soup 🙂
I have never used mutton before but it looks like an excellent choice for a stew
Would love a stockpot to make some traditional Welsh cawl
I could really use a stockpot for making soup. This one looks great.
This looks like good hearty main meal soup. I really love it (and wish I had a Butcher like this nearby!)
tasty soup idea
The soup looks OK, but I normally prefer mine a bit thicker.
I don’t eat meat so this isn’t the soup for me, but it looks very warming and perfect for autumn if you are a meat eater. The pot looks fabulous!
Recipe sounds nice and warming, but I wouldn’t be able to eat it, unfortunately. Stockpot looks fab!
The soup recipe’s not for me as I’m vegetarian, but the bannocks look nice!
This looks absolutely delicious and perfect for when the cooler weather sets in.
This soup sounds delicious. One thing I love about winter is the variety of soups that you can make. This pot seems to do the job
this soup sounds lovely! i love making my own tomato or chicken noodle mmm
I love the idea of the stockpot being able to be used both on the hob and in the oven, I make a lot of Turkish dishes and there are quite a few meat dishes that I start off on the hob and transfer to the oven, at the moment I transfer to a separate casserole dish so this would be perfect.
Never tried this soup but it sounds lovely. Mutton can be hard to find though. Love the stockpost
You can only get reestit mutton from Shetland – you have to either come visit us or order it online. 🙂
The copper stock pot really looks the business and perfect for warming autumn and winter recipes and help use up the glut of veggies from autumn harvest.
This is such a perfect winter recipe! Just makes me think of warm jumpers and cosy nights in.
I think using lamb stock instead of water adds a nice touch to the flavor, liked it best that way.
Looks delicious, perfect for the coming months. Just like my granny used to make. I’ve never managed to make my tattie soup like hers.
This looks sincerely delicious and just what we want in the less warm climate! I’d love the sort of pots as I’m forever making stews and soups inside the iciness and it virtually seems like it was built to last!
An easy and delicious dinner for winter!
I have never tried it before but it looks gorgeous.
That recipe sounds lovely, I prefer soup to be thick, but also have some chunks to chew on, so your recipe is right up my street. I’d love a new stock pot, mine is thin and tinny and catches at the bottom easily.
This looks so nourishing – perfect for a cold winter night
it looks really delicious and i would love the pot
NEVER USED MUTTON BEFORE – I DONT THINK I HAVE EVER SEEN IT INSTORE? BUT, IT LOOKS LIKE OUR KIND OF SOUP. WE HAVE CHICKEN SOUP WEEKLY OVER WINTER BECAUSE OF ITS HEALTH BENEFITS, A BOWLFULFUL OF THIS WILL HELP KEEP VIRUSES AND GERMS AT BAY – AND IF YOU ALREADY HAVE FLU, A SPOONFUL HELPS GET YOU BETTER QUICKLY. I USE MY LARGE, IRON WOK – WHOLE CHICKEN, ROOT VEG, AND AS MUCH GARLIC AS YOU CAN TAKE – COVER WITH WATER – COOK. REMOVE CHICKEN AND RESERVE FOR ANOTHER MEAL. DONT SKIM OFF CHICKEN FAT FROM SOUP, UNLESS YOU REALLY FEEL THE NEED TO. ENJOY xx
hat soup looks absolutely amazing perfect for the autumn/winter months
This sounds really interesting! I’ve never had it before but perhaps will this winter.
Seeing this reminded me of homemade meals my mum used to make when I was a child. Might inspire me too!
Looks delicious.
Great prize, had to give up work recently, so taken up cooking, this would be a fitting prize to add to my growing collection. Mutton is something I have not considered cooking with, would love to give it a go, thanks for recipe.
I think the stock pot would come in very useful. The recipe looks amazing and i cant wait to try it
Looks and sounds like a nice warming meal, great size pot too!
Wow Mutton soup looks and sounds ridiculously tasty
This is such weird timing because I just brought mutton yesterday! I haven’t tried it before so thought I would give it a go. The pot looks amazing!
perfect for the cold winter nights
I love lamb but have never eaten mutton before, but this recipe might just tempt me to have a go.
the stockpot sounds super, ive not tried mutton before but hubby loves it so may have to try out your recipe see if i like it x
It sounbds yummy, esp for cold winter nights
Well I’d never heard of Reestit Mutton, but that soup looks absolutely beautiful and is making me hungry!
I’m not a big fan of mutton but I do love a good broth I tend to use ham instead but it looks delish!
I have never cooked mutton before. I hear it can be a tough meat so I was wondering if it would be possible to do this recipe in the slow cooker?
I don’t see why not – it would be worth experimenting with, for sure! Just remember to discard the original cooking water as it is incredibly salty.
I believe the mutton soup looks delicious! In Australia, we would often eat mutton (our own) and it is so flavoursome in comparison to lamb. The stockpot also looks fab, but not something I could afford to purchase myself.
I think the recipe sounds lovely and is similar to my own (I wouldn’t use any butter and would have more root vegetables like swede and parsnip, and peas maybe) I would happily try your version, especially if I had a lovely new stockpot to cook it in – big enough to freeze a few portions too)
never actually tried mutton but the stockpot looks great
Never tried mutton but this soup looks lush.
the stock pot is just what we need as a family of six, for lots of nourishing stews and casseroles
It looks really warming for those autumn days not so long off. Not tried this. I am going to save it my Pinterest board to try out in the fall
You know, I’ve never ever tried mutton! I wouldn’t object to eating it, but the opportunity just has never come up! x
Love trying new recipes and variations on old ones which make them different and unique – this looks tasty and just up my alley!
The recipe looks amazing and so filling and the stockpot looks amazing, Thanks for the chance I have got my fingers and toes crossed
This looks like a great recipe for those cold chilly days. I have to try making this for my family.
This looks absolutely delicious and just what we need in the colder weather! I’d love one of these pots as I’m forever making stews and soups in the winter and it definitely looks like it was built to last!
Good soup is great and proper stock is a must, not least because you get every last bit of flavour and use from the carcasses from other meals. Reminds me a bit of my Mum’s hough soup (beef) with lovely clear, clean, flavoursome bree with tatties served in the plate with it.
The Stockpot looks lovely but would have to change the meat for chicken and have no onions
That recipe looks yummy, great for Autumn and easy to make xx
The recipe looks wholesome and filling just right for a warming meal in winter
Looks lovely, my aunt in Scotland always made homemade soup for her husband every night!
Thanks for a lovely recipe which need not hurt the pocket too much.
I used to enjoy making dishes like this when I was at school and learning to cook. I am a vegetarian now so would substitute ingredients but thank you for the recipe and the trip down memory lane.
The recipe sounds amazing and definitely one to try this autumn
This recipe looks great and really easy, will give it a try in the winter.
Now that the temperature has dropped I’m looking forward to eating warming stews and soups with homemade bread and lashing of salted butter yum.
sounds like the perfect winter warmer
We love lamb but have never heard of this before. So, we will definitely be trying this out soon.
Love the stock pot they enable you to make the most of the cheaper cuts of meat
I love the recipe, I’d love to try and give it a go when the weather starts getting cold
Wow, i have bookmarked this recipe, it sounds absolutely wonderful, perfect for those winter months
It looks like a really nice recipe, great for the colder months
It sounds very much like the delicious soup my Mum used to make on Mondays, from the leftover Sunday Roast (or bones!)
have mutton very infrequently (usually in a curry)but this recipe sounds very appealing
The recipe looks delicious. I’ve never bought mutton but I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks
I have never tried mutton but Would like to.
This seasonally appropriate recipe (here in Kent it feels like autumn) has turned my mind to wintery stews. I’m intrigued by the non-traditional softening of the vegetables in butter – and wonder what is the purpose of doing so? The soup looks – and reads – delicious, and if I can obtain reestit mutton once the cold weather has really set in would love to make the dish.
That’s just the way I like to do it – I find sauteeing the vegetables brings out a bit more flavour in the soup rather than just plonking it all in a pan and simmering it with water. I hope you do try the soup one day (either the traditional or my way) – let me know if you do! 🙂
The soup sounds wonderful for a cold winters day, love all the ingredients that goes into it and so easy too.. Will definitely have a go at this.
It looks delicious – i’m definitely going to try it. Very healthy, too !
Sounds a little like scouse stew.
The stock pot sounds fantastic! I’d love to win so I can try out recipes of my own!
I have had this before numerous times and I love it
I haven’t heard or tried before but I would certainly love to try the recipe thank you
Never tried mutton soup and not my choice of meat tbh! However, my husband would love it and it looks a great recipe, especially for the winter months.
Looks a very hearty,dish
I don’t eat lamb/mutton so it’s not something that I would eat but my other half really enjoys lamb so maybe this is something more that he would enjoy.
Lamb/mutton isn’t something I would choose to buy or eat but I would definitely try this! A good heavy stockpot is essential.
I’ve not tried mutton before, always been a bit put off but this makes it looks gorgeous and perfect for the autumn weather that seems to be approaching pretty fast!
Looks amazing, I love Autumnal food!!
Ohh this looks like my idea of heaven, I love the Scottish soups and stews and it reminds me, its along time since I’ve had some. Mich x
I think the mutton soup looks delicious! In Australia, we would often eat mutton (our own) and it is so flavoursome in comparison to lamb. The stockpot also looks fab, but not something I could afford to purchase myself.
The stockpot looks ideal for autumn stews, my family love stews and soups in the colder weather
I would love to make my own stocks using this copper stock pot.
This soup is a lot like our Irish stew only not as chunky and thick. We use lamb neck now but years ago when times were harder it was mutton.
The recipe looks amazing and very autumnal 🙂
Great looking recipe
This looks absolutely delicious! Perfect for an autumnal night with lots of fresh bread and butter!
I love how easy the recipe is to follow. It looks really tasty!
It’s not in my culinary repertoire
I’ve never tried reestit mutton soup, but yours looks amazing, very tasty. Thanks for the chance to win.
No, we’ve never tried it.
No never tried it but it does look delicious
I haven’t but it looks delicious!
I make a similar version – will certainly be trying this too – perfrct Autumn dish
Never tried it but it looks quite easy to make and quite yummy!!!
I have never tried it before but it looks gorgeous.
Never heard of this let alone tried it but it sounds delicious.
No, I have never tried reestit mutton soup.
I haven’t tried it and wouldn’t want to
No, I’ve never tried reestit mutton soup but it sounds tasty!