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Cottage Soup

Put three pounds of bones, broken into small pieces, into a stewpan, with a heaped table-spoonful of salt, a bunch of savoury herbs, a pennyworth of bruised celery-seed tied in a muslin bag, or two or three of the outer sticks of a head of celery, and four quarts of cold water. When the liquid boils, skim it, draw it to the side of the fire, and let it simmer very gently but continuously for three or four hours. Strain it, and put the fat into a frying-pan, with two onions sliced, and a carrot and turnip cut into dice. Fry these till lightly browned, put them with the soup, and boil it up again with a tea-spoonful of moist sugar, and half a tea-spoonful of pepper. Thicken it with four ounces of either oatmeal or prepared barley, taking care to mix them smoothly with a little cold water before putting them with the rest of the soup. Wash half a pound of rice, put it with the soup, boil it until tender, and serve. A little powdered mint should be sent to table with the soup, to be used or not, according to taste. Probable cost, 3d. per quart. Sufficient for three quarts.