Pea and Ham Soup

Directions

• Bring 2 litres of stock to the boil in a large pan, or a mix of stock / water if the stock is too salty. You’ll need to judge on taste for this, and add as you go, but I would start with 1 litre of stock, then add water, tasting as you go until you get a good level of seasoning. Then add stock and water until you have around 2 litres.
• Once the stock is boiling, simply add the whole bag of frozen peas, and bring back to the boil.
• Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and leave for 30-40 minutes until the peas are soft and cooked through.
• Remove from the heat, and blend with a hand blender until completely smooth. If blending creates foam on the top, spoon this off and discard and carry on blending until there are no visible pea husks anywhere and you have a nice smooth soup. If you want to, you can also pass it through a fine sieve at this stage if you want a very fine soup, but I find it better with texture.
• Check the seasoning and add any salt / pepper if required.
• Stir in the cream, holding a little back for serving and taste again, adjusting seasoning if necessary.
• To Serve
• You can crumble small pieces of the spiced ham into the bottom of a bowl and ladle the soup on top to get a lovely mix of pea and ham, or can be served on it’s own with warm crusty bread and cheese.