Ham Hock and Pea Soup

There is nothing more comforting that a hearty bowl of Ham Hock and Pea Soup.

The ham hock is quite simply one of our tasty gammon hocks cooked. We don’t use any additives or chemicals when we cure our pork so you will not need to soak the gammon for hours in advance. Just follow the recipe below and the net result will be a tasty Ham Hock and Pea Soup.

Serve with fresh crusty bread for the ideal lunch or Supper, or as a starter at a dinner party.

INGREDIENTS:
  • Wiltshire Bacon 1-1.5kg Gammon Hock
  • 50g butter
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 finely chopped garlic clove
  • Handful of Fresh Mint leave finely chopped
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 1 kg Bag of frozen peas
  • Black Peppercorns and Salt to season
METHOD:

Place your Wiltshire Bacon Gammon Hock in a large deep saucepan.  Cover with enough cold water and bring to the boil.  If you prefer you can skim any residue that appears on the surface of the liquid.   Reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 2 hours until the meat pulls away from the bone.   Top up the water if needed during the process.

Once cooled down remove the hock from the pan and take the meat off the bone.

Reserve 800ml of the liquid from the pan to form part of your stock.

In a clean large pan melt the butter.  Add the diced onion and sauté until softened.  Do not allow the onions to colour.

Add in the peas, vegetable stock and the ham liquid and stir well. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer to allow the peas to cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Remove a couple of tablespoon of the peas and put into a bowl.

Add the mint to the pan and using a stick blender blitz the mixture until smooth.

If you prefer your soup thinner, then add more stock to suit.

Removing the skin from the ham hock, cut up the meat. Add this to the soup along with the whole peas that are sat in a bowl.   Warm through gently.  Using ground peppercorns and rock salt season to taste.

Your soup is now ready to serve so ladle into bowls and serve with fresh crusty bread.