Feed five for a fiver

by Paul Warburton on 18 September 2009  |  2 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for Chunky pea and ham soup with crusty bread - and feed five for less than £5!

Recipe #14: Chunky pea and ham soup with crusty bread

• 600g of ASDA gammon joint (£2.28)
• 480g Birdseye garden peas (£1)
• 3 red onions (30p)
• 25g fresh of fresh mint (68p)

• 2 seeded baguettes (72p)

The cupboard staples...

Two Chicken stock cubes, black pepper, olive oil and 3 garlic cloves.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at ASDA, where it came to just £4.98!

Instructions

It's September now and I'm already starting to feel the cold a little more and the nights are definitely closing in on us, so what better than one of the kings of comfort food?

• Get a large heavy bottomed pan on to a low medium heat with a good glug of olive oil (Le Creuset dishes are great for making this soup with). Finely chop the red onion and garlic and add to the pan. You want to cook the onion and garlic down for 5-6 minutes so it softens without colouring too much.
• Whilst the onions and garlic are softening prepare the gammon by trimming off the majority of fat (leave a little on for flavour) and cutting into 1cm cubed pieces.
• Remove the onions and garlic from the pan, put the pan back on to a medium heat with a little more olive oil and add the gammon. Brown the gammon off for a few minutes.
• Now turn down to a low heat and add the onions and garlic along with 4 pints of chicken stock (I would use 2 stock cubes for 4 pints) and season with black pepper - no salt as the gammon will be salty enough. Simmer on a very low heat for 45 minutes so the gammon can tenderise.
• Finely add the peas and chopped mint (use the stalks as well) and simmer for a further 3 minutes until the peas are cooked.
• Serve with the crusty seeded baguettes.

• Happy eating!

A bit about our Chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Saturday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other 'Feed five for under a fiver' recipes: Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot