Particularly good on a foggy day in any town.

Shopping list

• 2 L / 8.5 cups chicken stock
• 450 g / 1 lb dry green split peas
• 1 leek, washed and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• Salt and pepper

Garnish

• Croutons
• 2 rashers bacon, fried until crispy
• Pea sprouts

Preparation cooking

1. Remove the tough outer leaves and the roots from a leek stalk, cut in half and then into slices. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. Chop up the onion, then heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the leek and onion and cook over a low heat for 10 mins until tender but not browned.
2. Rinse the split peas and add to the saucepan, with the stock and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1 hr, or until the peas are tender. Check that there’s enough liquid in the pan from time to time and add more, if necessary, as the peas absorb a lot of moisture. The peas and veggies should be quite mushy by this stage, and if necessary, can be further reduced with a stick immersion blender or by simply whisking for a few moments. Remove the bay leaf and any large pieces of green leek that haven’t integrated. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. While the soup is cooking, pan fry some bacon until it is crispy. Cut the crusts off some bread, chop into cubes and fry in the bacon fat. Set both aside to drain on paper kitchen towels.
4. Serve in individual bowls, with a few croutons, a few bits of crumbled up crispy bacon and a garnish of pea sprouts.

Shopping list

• 2 lb / 900 g fresh broccoli heads
• 1 lb / 450 g fresh leeks
• 2 medium white potatoes
• 2oz / 4 TBSP unsalted butter
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 8 cups / 1.9 L chicken or vegetable stock (OR half and half mixture)
• Salt and white pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Garnish

• Crostini (optional)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation and cooking

1. Prepare the vegetables. Wash the broccoli heads, chopping off the woody stems. Chop off and discard the dark green ends of the leeks. Chop the roots off the other end. Slice in half lengthwise and wash thoroughly. Slice into thin segments. Peel the potatoes and quarter.
2. In a large heavy pot, melt butter with a splash of EVOO to prevent burning. Sweat the leeks until they are tender, but not browned, about 8 to 10 mins. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add broccoli and potatoes and cook for a further 20 mins, until it all is tender. Remove from heat.
3. In a blender, food processor, or using a hand blender, blitz the soup until it is smooth. Return to the pot if necessary and bring back to simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. A squeeze of lemon juice will add a nice tang to the flavour. Reserve until ready to serve or keep covered in the fridge. Then bring back to hot.
4. Garnish with a floating crostini and a generous grating of Parmesan.

Your spoon will almost stand up in this heartwarming thick yellow pea potage.

Shopping list

• 7 oz/200 g yellow split peas
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 carrot, peeled and quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled (optional)
• 2 cups / 500g vegetable broth (or more)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 TBSP malt vinegar
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 1/4 TBSP/20 g butter, cut into chunks
• Ham bone, or 4 chunks of ham (optional)

Garnish

• Chopped parsley

Preparation and cooking

1. Soak dried yellow split peas in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Return to a thick bottomed cooking pot.
2. Add onion, carrot and bay leaves and fill pot with vegetable broth to cover the veggies. OPTION: add a ham bone or chunks of ham and cloves of garlic for more flavour.
3. Bring the peas to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer gently for an hour or until the peas are tender. Add more broth or water to prevent the soup from drying out.
4. Remove the bay leaves and ham bone or ham chunks from the pan. Discard the bay leaves and reserve the ham. Blitz the peas in the cooking pot with a hand blender. Blend to a thick purée.
5. Pour the purée into a clean pot. Add malt vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually beat in the butter a cube at a time. If the potage is too thick, add a little more warm broth or water and stir in, but do not let it get too thin. It is supposed to be thick.
6. Garnish lightly with small cubes of ham (optional) and chopped parsley.