Soups & Starters · Northern England

Pea & Ham Soup

Name: Pea & Ham Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 smoked ham hock (about 900g); 500g yellow split peas, rinsed; 1 onion; 2 carrots; 2 celery sticks, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1.8 litres water or light stock; White pepper; crusty bread, to serve

Split peas simmered to a velvet pottage with a ham hock’s smoky riches — London particular’s edible ancestor, built for the coldest days.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 120 min
Total: 135 min
Yield: Serves 4–6
Difficulty: Easy
Era: Pottage tradition

Ingredients

1 smoked ham hock (about 900g)
500g yellow split peas, rinsed
1 onion; 2 carrots; 2 celery sticks, chopped
2 bay leaves
1.8 litres water or light stock
White pepper; crusty bread, to serve

Method

Simmer the hock in the water for 1½ hours until the meat falls from the bone. Lift out; reserve the liquor.
Add the split peas, vegetables and bay to the liquor; simmer 45 minutes until the peas dissolve.
Shred the ham, discarding skin and bone.
Blend the soup to your preferred texture — half-smooth is the northern way.
Return the ham, warm through, season with white pepper, and serve with crusty bread.

Oven temperatures are given in Celsius, Fahrenheit, fan and gas mark throughout. Quantities are metric, as cooked and written in the UK.