Split pea soup was dubbed the “London Particular” by Charles Dickens in Bleak House, as a comment on the thick “pea-soup” fogs of old London town.

We may no longer have the fog, but we still have the need for a huge pot of wonderfully satisfying soup to see us through to the end of winter.

Because it takes two good hours to cook, this is hardly the sort of thing you will cook for dinner if you are working late and get home hungry. It is, however, the perfect thing to cook if you are in the habit of working late and getting home hungry, because it reheats in minutes and is enormously comforting with toast or a toasted muffin.

I have loaded it with carrots, celery and onion because they add a fresh sweetness, and the gammon knuckle gives the broth intense flavour and smokiness. Use a smoked gammon knuckle, smoked ham hock or whatever smoked bacon bones you can find — or talk your butcher into selling you the ham bone when they get to the end of carving off the meat. There is no need to soak the split peas.

If you work from home, then make the soup during the day to have tonight, and freeze the rest. If you get home late and hungry as usual, feed yourself with a quick cheese omelette, then cook this tonight before you go to bed and you will be able to feed yourself for a week.

SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP
Serves 6 to 8

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2 hrs

1.2kg smoked gammon knuckle
500g yellow split peas
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 onions, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
3 litres water
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Sea salt and pepper

METHOD

Place the smoked gammon knuckle, yellow split peas, chopped carrots, celery, onion and bay leaves in your largest pot, cover with the water and bring to the boil, skimming off any froth as it rises to the surface.

Cook for two hours at a gentle simmer, partly covered, allowing a few bubbles to disturb the surface, skimming if necessary. Taste for salt and pepper (some hams can be quite salty).

Remove the gammon and shred the meat, discarding bone, skin and fat.

Whiz half the pea soup in a blender and return to the pan with the shredded ham. Gently reheat and serve, scattered with parsley.

jill.dupleix@thetimes.co.uk

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