1.2-1.5kg / 2.4-3lb ham hock (aka ham bone), bacon hock or MEATY leftover ham bone (Note 2)
1/4 tsp salt (start with less, adjust later)
3/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
1 onion , finely chopped
1 carrot , peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks , finely chopped
8 cups (2 litres/qts) water
Instructions
Place peas in slow cooker, push ham in. Scatter all ingredients around the ham bone, then pour over water.
Slow cook 8 to 10 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH. (Or 2.5 hours on low on stove, 1 h - 1 hr 20 min pressure cooker/Instant Pot on HIGH)
Remove ham bone, shred ham meat. Discard bone and fatty skin.
Remove bay leaves. Use a stick blender to blitz 2 or 3 times - thickens soup but doesn't make it completely smooth (my preference, you can blend completely if you want).
Return ham into slow cooker, stir. Taste and add more salt if needed (soup gets lots of salt from ham).
Serve garnished with parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dunking