Cold Beetroot and Apple Soup with Bone Broth

The colour alone is worth making it for.

Before you taste it, you see it: a deep, jewel-toned magenta that fills the bowl like something poured from the earth itself. Cold beetroot soup has a long history across Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and for good reason — it is one of those dishes that manages to be simultaneously humble and spectacular.

We’ve added two things that transform it: a tart Granny Smith apple for brightness, and our Beef Bone Broth for depth. The broth brings a quiet richness and body that makes this feel like a proper meal rather than a starter — and carries with it the collagen and minerals of a long, slow simmer.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 g raw beetroot (about 4 medium), scrubbed
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 400 ml The Broth Bar Beef Bone Broth
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

To serve: a spoonful of crème fraîche or thick plain yogurt, fresh dill or chives, toasted pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of good olive oil.

Method

1. Roast the beetroot. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Wrap the beetroot loosely in foil with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 50–60 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Allow to cool, then peel — the skins slip off easily once roasted. Roughly chop.
2. Sweat the base. In a pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil and cook the red onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Combine. Add the roasted beetroot, chopped apple, and Beef Bone Broth to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, just enough for the apple to soften and the flavours to come together.
4. Blend. Add the apple cider vinegar. Blend until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning — the soup should be earthy, a little sweet, and slightly sharp. Adjust with more vinegar, salt, or a pinch of pepper as needed.
5. Chill. Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. The soup deepens in flavour as it rests.
6. Serve. Ladle into chilled bowls. Add a generous spoonful of crème fraîche or yogurt in the centre — let it swirl naturally. Top with fresh dill, pumpkin seeds, and a thread of olive oil.

Why bone broth works here

Beetroot is assertive. It needs something equally grounded to hold it — something that can stand alongside that earthiness without disappearing into it. Our Beef Bone Broth, with its 3.8 g of collagen per 500 ml serving and 16 hours of slow simmer, brings exactly that: a rounded, mineral depth that water simply cannot replicate.

The apple cider vinegar — much like the touch of apple cider vinegar we use in our own broth-making process — acts as a bridge, drawing out the natural sweetness of the beetroot and lifting the whole bowl.

This soup keeps refrigerated for up to four days and freezes beautifully before the crème fraîche is added.