Vegan Scouse

Written by McDonald, T.  |  Date 12th of January 2026 

Yet another great traditional English dish, but this time it's from Liverpool.  Rumour has it that its roots lay in the Vikings that had a similar dish by a similar name (Viking Skause).  English food has history!  This is great on winter days, like many English dishes, it knows how to deal with the cold weather we have here in the UK. Chunky root vegetables, potato, and protein. In this version, I have swapped the white potato for sweet potato and the soya chunks replace the meat.

Notes

• Gets better the next day!
• Soya chunks are easy.  Put them in a bowl, cover with boiling water, cover with a plate and leave for 10 minutes.
• You can swap the soya chunks for another meat substitute or extra firm tofu.
• Blind Scouse is exactly the same, but has no meat substitutes or tofu. 

Soya chunks are meaty.

 

Time, 1.5 hrs approx

Serves, 3 – 4 people

Ingredients

• Soya chunks x 130 g
• Potato x 300 g
• Spinach x 250 g
• Carrot x 250 g
• Onion x 1 (about 150 g)
• Swede x 400 g
• Barley x 40 g
  
• Yeast extract x 2 tsp
• Cider vinegar x 4 tbsp
• Lemon juice x 1/2 a lemon
• Gravy x 3 tsp (added to 400 ml of water)
• White pepper x 1/2 tsp
• Salt x 1 tsp 
• Parsley x a bunch
  

Method

1. Prepare the soya chunks as directed on the packet. 
2. Dice the onion and fry it in a little oil until it starts to soften.  Add the soya chucks to the onions and continue to fry until the onion turns translucent. 
3. Dice the sweet potato, carrot, and swede and add to the stewing pot.
4. Turn the stove on to a medium heat, so the pot starts to heat while you add the rest of the ingredients.
   
5. Now you can add the soya chunks and onion to the stewing pot. 
6. Add the gravy granules to 400 ml of boiling water to make a weak gravy and add it to the pot.
7. Add the barley.
   
8. Add the white pepper, yeast extract, lemon juice, cider vinegar and salt.  Gently mix and bring to the boil.  
9. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and leave for 30 minutes.  Check and stir regularly. 
10. Add the spinach in batches so it has a chance to shrink, making more room for the next batch.
11. Once the last bit of spinach is in, allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.
    
12. Serve with homemade bread.
    

I hope you liked this blog!  I would love to hear from you; especially if you tried this recipe out.  Have a great day!