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Traditional Scottish Rumbledethumps

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 2:01

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Rumbledethumps. How is that for a tongue twister of a name. Rumbledethumps is a traditional Scottish side dish that historically was made from the leftovers of a dinner. Potatoes, swede, cabbage, onions or leeks, cheese.

The Irish have their Colcannon. The English have their Bubble and Squeak. The Scottish have their rumbledethumps. This is a traditional Scottish dish, said to come from the Scottish Border regions. It is economical and it is delicious.

I have seen it made without turnips (rutabaga/swede) and I have seen it made with bits of ham added. I have also seen it made with leeks included. The most traditional way however is just with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese. I have added onion because I like onions and had some to use up.

Traditionally it would have utilized leftovers, but today I am making it with ingredients that have been cooked from scratch. The potatoes are boiled in lightly salted water and mashed.

The cabbage and onion are sauteed in butter until softened without browning and then stirred into the potatoes before the whole thing is turned into a baking dish, slathered with some grated cheese and then baked until light golden brown.

The name is said to come from the noise that the wooden spoon makes as it hits the side of the saucepan when you are mixing the potatoes and cabbage together.

I can tell you it is delicious. Soft, comforting, buttery and cheesy. With or without swede. This is pure and simple Scottish comfort food.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH RUMBLEDETHUMPS

Very simple ordinary everyday ingredients. Humble fixings put together in the most delicious way.

1 pound (1/2 kg) floury potatoes (potatoes good for mashing)
1/4-pound (125g) cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
4 TBS butter, divided
2 ounces (56g) mature cheddar cheese grated (about 1/2 cup)
salt and white pepper to taste

By floury potatoes I mean a potato that is good for mashing. It should cook up light and fluffy and a bit dry. It should fall apart when cooked and not be in the least bit waxy. You want an old potato, a russet, a King Edward, a Maris Piper or a good all-rounder.

You can use any kind of cabbage you wish to use for this. All work well. Savoy, sweetheart, winter king, white. I used white cabbage. You could use red as well, but it will turn a god-awful shade of purple/red and will not be very visually appealing. Just saying.

I used a regular brown skinned cooking onion. Peeled, cut in half and then the halves cut into half-moons.

I used the last of my Balderson’s aged cheddar that I had gotten in for Christmas. Any well flavored sharp cheddar will do and will work best.

HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH RUMBLEDETHUMPS

It’s very easy. You basically make mashed potatoes without the milk and fold it together with cabbage and onion, pile it into a dish, slather the top with some good cheese and bake. Simple.

Peel your potatoes and cut them into equal sized pieces. (I make mine in 1 1/2-inch chunks.)

Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until soft.

Drain well and mash with 2 TBS of the butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Keep warm.

Peel the onion, cut in half and finely slice into half-moons. Core and trim the outer leaves from the cabbage. Slice it roughly.

Melt 2 TBS of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and wilted down.

Mix the cooked softened cabbage and onion thoroughly into the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold your cabbage and potatoes.

Pile the potato mixture into the buttered dish. (I like to keep the top roughed up a bit.) Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15to 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown in spots. Serve as a tasty side dish to your favorite meal.

This was very simple to make and exceptionally delicious. Simple ingredients done so well together. I have seen it with turnips/swede/rutabaga added and am keen to try it that way now. This was incredibly tasty. I could have eaten a whole plate of this and nothing else!

It is most commonly served as a side dish along with something else. Baked beans, sausage, ham, etc. It is also a great main dish for vegetarians. This is a lovely comfort food, pure and simple!

I loved travelling in Scotland when I was over in the U.K. I loved the people and I loved the food. Here are a few other Scottish dishes that you might also enjoy!

SCOTTISH DUNDEE CAKE - This is a traditional Scottish fruited Cake. You can either do it as one large cake or smaller cupcake sized cakes as I have done. It is a fruit cake, but not as heavy and rich as a traditional Christmas type of fruit cake. This is more of an “Enjoy with a hot cuppa” kind of a fruit cake! Light in color and with a nice “citrus” flavor, it is one of my favorite fruit cakes. I does include plenty of dried currants and raisins and candied citrus peels of course! This recipe also includes the finely grated zest of on orange. YUM!

SCOTTISH OAT CAKES - I am not sure how authentic these are as I got the recipe from an episode of Martha Bakes, but I can promise you they are terrifically tasty! Crisp, buttery, loaded with plenty of oats, inside and out. Beautiful with a bit of cheese or a hot cup of tea. The oats for these are toasted before grinding into flour in a food processor to make the cakes, giving them a really nutty flavor. Moreishly oaty, crisp and delicious!

Yield: 2 – 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Traditional Rumbledethumps (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

A fabulous Scottish side dish using simple ingredients, creamy mashed potato, sauteed cabbage and sometimes onions. These get stirred through together, piled into a baking dish and topped with cheese before baking to tasty perfection in a moderate oven!

Ingredients

1 pound (1/2 kg) floury potatoes (potatoes good for mashing)
1/4 pound (125g) cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
4 TBS butter, divided
2 ounces (56g) mature cheddar cheese grated (about 1/2 cup)
salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel your potatoes and cut them into equal sized pieces. (I make mine in 1 1/2-inch chunks.)
Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
Drain well and mash with 2 TBS of the butter. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Keep warm.
Peel the onion, cut in half and finely slice into half moons. Core and trim the outer leaves from the cabbage. Slice it roughly.
Melt 2 TBS of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and wilted down.
Mix the cooked softened cabbage and onion thoroughly into the potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold your cabbage and potatoes.
Pile the potato mixture into the buttered dish. (I like to keep the top roughed up a bit.) Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15to 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown in spots.
Serve as a tasty side dish to your favorite meal.

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Source: https://www.theenglishkitchen.co/2025/02/traditional-scottish-rumbledethumps.html

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