Pea and Ham Soup

Serves 4 | Prep time 15 mins | Total time 25-30 mins

I have my brother and sister-in-law to thank for introducing me to this delicious soup recipe, which they found through the Waitrose website (linked below).

Heston's pea and ham soup is admittedly pretty unhealthy, but is definitely worth making when you have guests for lunch, or need a starter, and you want to impress.

My boyfriend and I tried to recreate the recipe back in the Autumn, but adapted it slightly to make use of the ingredients we had in the flat.

INGREDIENTS

900g (or 1 bagful) frozen peas

Handful of mint leaves

50ml olive oil

30g unsalted butter

75g sliced shallots or white onion

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

160g unsmoked bacon, cut into strips

750ml (low salt) vegetable stock

Bread roll

RECIPE

1. To make the mint infused oil: place the mint leaves in a small pan of boiling water for 20 seconds. Using a slatted spoon, move the mint to a bowl of ice-cold water for 60 seconds. Next, dry the leaves between two pieces of kitchen roll, and using a pestle and mortar (or small food processor) break down the mint with the oil.

2. To make the soup: in a large pan or wok, melt the butter and fry off the shallots, bacon, and garlic for 5-7 minutes.

3. (Optional: Remove a small handful of the bacon from the pan, scatter over a baking tray and place under the grill to use as a topping).

4. Add the stock and peas to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a hand blender, blitz the soup until you achieve a smooth texture. Season with pepper.

5. After blitzing, reheat the soup and add a large handful of frozen peas. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. The peas should still be slightly firm on eating.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls, (top with the bacon pieces) and drizzle lightly with mint oil.

7. Serve with a crusty bread roll.

Heston Blumenthal's pea and ham soup recipe: