What’s Bone Broth?
You’d think it would be easy to find out, but it seems that this simple act of slow-cooking bones in water goes by many names. If you google it, you’ll find hundreds of different definitions and recipes from chicken stock to bone soup. You’ll find those who say it has healed them of many ailments to those who are more sceptical. You’ll find people who swear by the bone broth diet and you’ll find chefs who have been using it for many years. So what exactly is it?
IS BONE BROTH JUST STOCK?
Pretty much, yes!
Like a stock, it's made of bones, vegetables, herbs and seasoning. all slow-cooked in spring water for 24 hours. For many 'Bone Broth' is defined by its long and slow cook, a high volume of bones rather than meat and addition of a little apple cider vinegar (don't worry you can't taste it) which is meant to help extract the collagen and minerals from the bones. And that's the difference.
WHO SHOULD USE BONE BROTH?
If you want to eat whole foods, enjoy an authentic meaty flavour and avoid ingredients you don't recognise then an organic bone broth (either ours or homemade) is for you.
SO IS IT ESPECIALLY HEALTHY OR GOOD FOR YOU?
There is some evidence to display some anti-inflammatory qualities of chicken broth for sinus and respiratory infections. Some believe bone broth also helps the lining of the gut, aid joints, muscles and bones as well as overall skin, hair and nail health. We have a great blog entry by Gideon Remfry explaining some of the understood evidence behind adding broth to your diet as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, we don’t believe in encouraging a diet where people sustain themselves for any length of time purely by drinking broth. Everyone is different there is no one approach to food that works for everyone. We encourage balance and listening to your body – without becoming obsessive. We don’t promote a specific diet or protocol, so, if you’re concerned about your diet, visit an expert in nutrition for advice specifically relevant to you.
SO WHAT MADE YOU START MAKING IT?
Well, you can read about our story here. But in almost every culture throughout the ages bones have been boiled in water and served as a staple. With the birth of the stock cube, yeast extract and cheap flavour replacements the practice of broth from the stockpot has been lost. And we want to bring back traditional bone broths and stocks to the UK made the old fashioned way. So we make it ourselves in our London based kitchen.
CAN’T I JUST BUY A CONVENTIONAL STOCK CUBE?
If you look at the ingredients on a stock cube, we found they often contain many ingredients many wouldn’t recognise or think to use at home.
We found that most stocks available on the market don’t use whole natural ingredients, but a mishmash of strange additives, extracts, oils and E numbers to make a much cheaper product. Even the organic ones!
CAN I MAKE MY OWN BONE BROTH?
Absolutely, and to be honest we'd recommend that you do. We make our broths using their bones in fact. It might not make business sense for us to tell you to make your own, but we understand the time and effort it takes to make a good broth and if you have the time it's a wonderful thing to do and you can really make it your own.
We found that like a lot of people, we were making our own stocks and broths at home, and discovered (like in the olden days and in many professional kitchens) that slow cooking for 24 hours seemed to improve not only the flavour but the extraction of minerals and collagen, making it very rich in nutritional benefits and flavour.
However, not everyone has the time to make it, which is where we come in!
HOW DO I USE BONE BROTH?
We love simply heating and drinking it in a mug (although it’s not for everyone) otherwise, think of it as a nourishing stock, which can be splashed into recipes or used as a delicious, rich base in soups and stews. We have plenty of recipes here on our website that illustrates the versatility of a good broth, so be sure to take a look, and let us know if you have any of your own!
