I have fond memories of pea and ham soup. My mum used to make it quite often when we were kids with a big ham bone and split green peas. The only complaint I can make is that whilst the ham slid off the bone there wasn’t enough of it for my liking.

Fast forward a few years and I was faced with a rather large hunk (for the lack of a better word) of ham in the fridge. I also had a bag of frozen peas and some green lentils so I decided to make a variation on my childhood pea and ham soup.

The soup, whilst a little too spicy for some, was absolutely delicious.

Do you have a favourite dish from childhood?

Pea and ham soup

As I just made this recipe up as I went it doesn’t have specific measurements – play around until you get your desired consistency/flavour!

Ingredients

  • Ham
  • Frozen peas
  • Green lentils (approx. 1/3 cup per person)
  • Chili flakes (to taste)
  • A couple of tsp of chicken stock (as I had no vegetable stock in the cupboard)

Method

  1. Place chicken stock, lentils and water to cover in a large saucepan and simmer until almost cooked
  2. Add ham, peas, chili flakes, salt & pepper until heated through (add more water to create desired consistency)
  3. Serve with bread and butter