These herbs are sold in bottles by all grocers under the name of Herbaceous Mixture.
Flavour the soup with cayenne pepper, a glass of port wine (port wine dregs will do), dissolve in it a small dessertspoonful of red-currant jelly, and add the juice of half a lemon.
N.B .-- Aromatic flavouring herbs are exceedingly useful in cooking.

It is cheaper to buy them ready made, under the name of Herbaceous Mixture.

They can, however, be made at home as follows:--Take two ounces of white peppercorns, two ounces of cloves, one ounce of marjoram, one ounce of sweet basil and one ounce of lemon-thyme, one ounce of powdered nutmeg, one ounce of powdered mace, and half an ounce of dried bay-leaves.

The herbs must be wrapped up in paper (one or two little paper bags, one inside the other, is best), and dried very slowly in the oven till they are brittle.
They must then be pounded in a mortar, and mixed with the spices, and the whole sifted through a fine hair-sieve and put by in a stoppered bottle for use.
HOTCH-POTCH .-- Cut up some celery, onion, carrot, turnip, and leeks into small pieces and fry them for a few minutes in about two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, very gently, taking care that they do not in the least degree turn colour.

Previous to this, wash and boil about a quarter of a pound of pearl barley for four or five hours.