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The London Particular

The London Particular is a thick pea and ham soup, named after the dense London fogs. I like making it with the Christmas leftover gammon/ ham using lentils and green peas rather than split peas. It’s really nice and warming, so it’s ideal on cold, winter nights.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Cuisine: British
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 50 g butter or dairy-free margarine
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 300 g brown lentils
  • 1.5 litres of chicken soup or the cooking water of the ham
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 250 g cooked ham
  • 50 g frozen green peas
  • Garnish: crème fraîche or Greek yogurt

Method
 

  1. Chop the vegetables roughly.
  2. In a large saucepan, gently sauté the onion and celery in the butter until soft.
  3. Add the carrots and lentils, stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the broth, the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Simmer at a low heat for 45-60 minutes.
  4. Tear the ham into small chunks..
  5. When the lentils are soft, take the pan off the stove, and process into a creamy soup. If it’s too thick, add more stock. Season to taste. Add the ham and warm through.
  6. Meanwhile blanch the frozen peas for 3 minutes and drain.
  7. Serve the soup with the peas scattered over and with a dollop of crème fraîche if you like. ( I like it with a spoonful of apple cider vinegar).