14 Nebraskaland • January-February 2026
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP
Known as Scotland's National Soup,
cock-a-leekie is a simple dish of leeks,
chicken and barley — and it's just
as satisfying made with pheasant.
Traditionalists include prunes, which I
have done here to add extra sweetness
to the pheasant stock. However, if you
think prunes are ghastly, skip them.
The version I enjoyed for lunch at
a little cafe on Loch Lomond included
rice. I liked the rice, so I'm including
it, too.
Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
• 1 whole pheasant, quartered
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 ribs of celery, cut in half
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 cups of water
• 2 large leeks, washed and white- and
light-green parts coarsely chopped
• 2-3 tsp. chicken bouillon
• ½ cup of uncooked white rice
• ½ cup of quick barley
• 6 prunes
• 1 cup of shredded carrot
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Minced chives for garnish
• Butter
1. In a pot, combine pheasant,
onion, celery, bay leaf and water.
Rub the garlic head to remove loose
papery layers, and then cut off the
top to reveal its cross section. Drop
trimmed garlic head into the pot and
bring contents to a simmer. Simmer
partially uncovered for 1 hour and 30
minutes, or until pheasant becomes
tender. Skim off foam.
2. Then discard onion, celery, garlic
and bay leaf. Remove pheasant from
the pot, and when cool enough to
handle, pick off meat and shred into
bite-size pieces and set aside.
3. Add chicken bouillon, chopped
leek, shredded carrot, rice, barley and
prunes to the pot and simmer for an
additional 30 minutes. If soup becomes
too thick, thin with more water and
bouillon.
4. Right before taking soup off the
heat, add shredded pheasant meat to
warm through. Season soup to taste.
Serve hot soup with chopped chives
and a pat of butter on top. There
should be one prune in each bowl.
Cock-a-leekie is usually served with
brown bread.
IN THE FIELD
A Scottish soup made with pheasant. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
