What in the world is Maconochie? Posted on March 24, 2026

Maconochie. What an odd word. What could it possibly mean? Well, if you were enlisted in the British Army during World War I, you probably knew all too well what this was.

Machonochie stew was a heat-and-serve meal provided to British (and Scottish) soldiers during World War I.

Ernest Melville, who served in World War I, wrote a poem attributing his bravery to Maconochie Stew. Or, perhaps in spite of it. The stew, which sounds pretty good, contained beef cubes, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and green beans. However, the entire meal, from what I have read, was boiled. So instead of browning the meat and vegetables in oil or butter and creating a rich gravy, the results were much less appetizing.

Ernest Melville was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1887. He traveled to North Carolina in 1907 and stayed with the family of Robert W. Scott for almost a year. He stayed on in America, becoming an accountant and settling in Boston. In 1915 he returned to Scotland and enlisted in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His service took him first to France and then to India. He was glad to see the war end, but knew he would miss his comrades, the ones who left for home as well as the ones who stayed behind, buried under little white crosses. He lost his younger brother, Archie, in August of 1918. Years later, Ernest returned to France to visit his brother’s grave.