Home
Recipes
Pea and ham hock soup

Bowl of pea soup topped with shredded ham hock

Pea and ham hock soup

Name: Pea and ham hock soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1kg ham hock or gammon; 200g split peas soaked overnight; 2 onions roughly chopped; 2 carrots roughly chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 stick celery roughly chopped; 300g frozen peas; crusty bread and butter, to serve

John Torode

Save recipe

Serves 8

Easy

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 3 hrs

Plus overnight soaking

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.43 ratingsRate

loading...

Make this stylish soup from John Torode, combining green peas and split peas with smoky pieces of shredded ham hock. Perfect for a starter or warming lunch

Freezable

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Bread in four easy steps

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.163 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1kg ham hock

or gammon
200g split peas

soaked overnight
2 onions

roughly chopped
2 carrots

roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 stick celery

roughly chopped
300g frozen peas
crusty bread

and butter, to serve

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: per serving

kcal292
fat11g
saturates4g
carbs23g
sugars5g
fibre5g
protein26g
salt3.56g

Method

step 1

Put the gammon in a very large pan with 2 litres water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and drain off the water – this helps to get rid of some of the saltiness. Recover with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil again. Put everything but the frozen peas into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1½-2½ hrs, topping up the water as and when you need to, to a similar level it started at. As the ham cooks and softens, you can halve it if you want, so it is all submerged under the liquid. When the ham is tender enough to pull into shreds, it is ready.
step 2

Lift out the ham, peel off and discard the skin. While it is still hot (wear a clean pair of rubber gloves), shred the meat. Remove bay from the soup and stir in the frozen peas. Simmer for 1 min, then blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if too thick, and return to the pan to heat through if it has cooled, or if you are making ahead.
step 3

When you are ready to serve, mix the hot soup with most of the ham – gently reheat if made ahead. Serve in bowls with the remaining ham scattered on top, and eat with crusty bread and butter.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2011

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.43 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now