Potted Hough is a Scottish delicacy available from most butchers in Scotland. It can easily be made from home with the easy to cook recipe for potted hough further below. The word hough is the Scots name for shin and the dish is usually made in a small dish to give individual or family portions. Potted hough is usually eaten cold and served on oatcakes, bread, toast, etc or like the Scottishrecipes team - eaten straight out of the wee pot!
Potted hough is not the healthiest of Scottish recipes. Ingredients for potted hough include gelatine made from the bones of the beef from which the collagen forms the gelatine and any meat from the beef.
Potted Hough is high in fat and is included at Scottishrecipes.co.uk for historical interest and goes some way to explain the high incidence of heart disease in Scotland! Yet we at
Traditional Scottish Recipes - Just Like Granny Made know this and still enjoy eating potted hough. If we pass a butchers we have to pop in for some pottedhough as a wee snack though it mostly makes a hearty meal.
Other names for potted hough include potted heid, potted haugh and pottit heid. Heid is the Scots word for head and pottit heid means the head of the cow. In England the equivalent dish would be English Brawn though that is made with pork rather than beef.
It is thought that potted hough originates
This potted meat recipe should be made into small individual moulds. The ingredients are easily bought from most butchers in Scotland, though they will also sell a ready made potted meat which is even easier to buy and eat!
Potted Meat Ingredients
One piece of meaty shin bone, ie the beef hough that you should ask the butcher to crack.
One bay leaf, a wee pinch of cayenne, ground spice and salt and pepper.
How To Make Potted Hough
Place the ingredients into a large pan and cover with water.
Bring to the boil and then simmer for about four to six hours.
Sieve the liquid into a separate pan and keep the bone, meat and gelatin in the original pan. Set aside to cool down and then skim off the fat from the surface.
Mince, shred or chop the mixture as finely as possible then return to the drained liquid, ie the stock. Some chefs like to add more seasoning of salt and pepper at this stage of cooking potted hough. Boil for a further quarter of an hour.
Place into each mould and place in the fridge to chill.
Serve the potted hough with oatcakes, on hot toast or your favourite bread.
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Potting is the process of setting chopped meat in a liquid that is either made from butter or, if it's a piece of meat from the gelatine in the meat (which is why shin is a popular cut for potting). Indeed, 'hough' is the Scottish name for a shin of beef and this is a very traditional dish going back to the 18th century. Typically it's used as a sandwich filling for picnics or is served on toast as supper time.
Ingredients:
1.lkg beef shin (on he bone), with the bone cracked
salt and black pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of ground allspice
Add the meat to a large saucepan along with the spices. Add just enough cold water to cover then bring to a boil. Skim any fat off the surface of the water, turn the heat down to a low simmer then cover and allow to cook gently for at least 6 hours.
Remove the meat and set aside, strain the liquid and set aside to cool completely. At this point remove any fat from the surface. Take the meat off the bone and chop as finely as you can. Return the meat and stock to the pan, adjust the seasonings and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Lightly butter some ramekins then divide the meat mixture between them. Allow to cool then place in the refrigerator until set. Unmould and serve.