One of our absolute favourite meals is ham & split pea soup. It's also really easy to make. Pick yourself up a bag of dried peas and a hock and you're well on your way!  If pea soup isn't your thing, you'll find loads of other smoked hock recipes online.

Here's what I do to make a BIG pot of soup. It freezes really well so I always make a big batch.

First I use the hocks to make a rich, flavourful broth. You can make this as complicated as you like by adding onions, carrots, herbs, etc but simply simmering the trotters in boiling water will work too. Simmer for at least a couple hours on low.

Strain out the hock and set aside to cool.

Add split peas to the broth and while they are cooking, remove all the meat from the hocks, cut into smallish pieces and add back to the pot with the broth & peas.

Again, you can get as fancy as you like here. I've added carrots & onions but I often don't add anything more.

Cook until the peas are soft, then blend with an immersion blender until as smooth as you like. Add salt & pepper to taste.

That's it!