Pea and ham soup with crème fraîche

Pea and ham soup recipe

When it comes to comfort food, a traditional pea and ham soup is at the top of the list, and what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in flavour. The best pea and ham soup recipe may involve slow cooking a ham hock with dried split peas to allow the flavours to fully infuse into the dish, but even a quick version will provide you with a good flavour and level of comfort.

Pea soup in many forms has been around since the early ages, in different cuisines with slight localised variations. The strongest cultural association is with England, thanks to the British use of the slang term ‘pea souper’ when referring to a particularly foggy day. The soup comes from humble origins regardless, using dried legumes and salted pork when fresh produce was scarce or too costly. Some variations of the soup use yellow split peas, others lean towards green split peas, frozen peas or a mix of both. The fact this soup is so economical has kept it a firm favourite in many households.

How to make pea and ham soup

There’s nothing quite as comforting as an old fashioned pea and ham soup but let’s face it, we don’t always have the extra time. This quick and easy version with triple smoked ham gives you the smoky flavour without the wait time of slow cooking a pea and ham hock soup.

This recipe for pea and ham soup actually uses frozen peas instead of split or other dried peas to make it even easier. It uses a lot of ingredients that you’ll have in your pantry and freezer, including frozen peas, onions , stock and olive oil, and you only need to pick up a few items from the supermarket to serve it up.

Ways to cook your pea and ham soup

If you have a bit more time on your hands, then you may wish to try to make pea and ham soup in a slow cooker for a more rich and developed flavour. If you want the same flavour as a slow cooker but not the long wait time, you could create your pea and ham soup in a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker gives all the flavour of a slow-cooked meal in half the time.

These variations work particularly well if using a recipe with a whole ham hock as the slow cooker or pressure cooker will break down the ham hock and impart its smoky and salty flavour throughout the soup.

Now get cooking

On your search for the best pea and ham soup, why not try our hearty potato-based recipe pea and ham soup, or if you’d prefer a vegetarian version then our pea and broccoli soup with grilled cheese sandwich croutons is one to try. But if it’s soup you’re after, try these 5 simple soups.