Vegetable Barley Soup

An easy and delicious recipe for Pearl Barley Soup. It is a popular soup in the Swiss alps, called Gerstensuppe in German. The pearl barley thickens the soup as it cooks, making the soup quite substantial and comforting.

• 2 carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 small brown onion
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 bay leaf
• few sprigs of thyme
• 3.5 oz (100g) pearl barley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of ground mace
• 6 cups (1.5 litres) chicken or vegetable stock
• flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• croûtons for serving