Oxtail soup

Ingredients :
25g/1oz beef dripping
2 oxtails
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery sticks
2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons pearl barley
1 tablespoon plain flour mixed with 2 tablespoons water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make
- Melt the dripping in a heavy saucepan. Fry the oxtails, onion and carrot until brown, then add 1.2 litres/2pt water.
- Tie the celery, parsley and bay leaf together, and add to the soup.
- Bring to the boil, add the pearl barley and simmer for 4 hours, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
- Remove the large bones and celery, parsley and bay leaf, then thicken the soup with the flour paste, stirring all the while.
- Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.