The uncertain weather makes me want to get the soup pan out. Even though some of our days are warm, the evenings are still chilly and soup with a side of crusty bread and a salad makes a delicious dinner. Below are two soup recipes which will keep you going until spring really does hit.

Ham and Pea Soup

2 packages dried peas, green, yellow or both

1 large onion, chopped small

2 carrots, chopped small

2 celery sticks, chopped small

4 whole garlic cloves

1 ham shank

Rinse the dried peas and place them with all the other ingredients in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover the peas with two inches to spare. Set the pot over a medium heat and allow to come to the boil. Simmer, turning down the heat as necessary for one and a half hours until the peas have mostly broken down, the vegetables are cooked and the soup has thickened.

Remove the ham shank and strip all the meat from the bones, add the meat back to the soup and discard the bones. Stir in some chopped parsley and fresh ground black pepper just before serving if you like. Leftovers can be frozen for an instant weeknight meal.

This soup makes a great choice for vegetarians if you omit the ham shank and add salt to taste before serving.

Roast Chicken Soup

I roast chicken carcass or a store bought rotisserie chicken

4 cups of diced vegetables such as onion, celery and carrot but also any other vegetable that you have left over in the fridge such as sweet potatoes, asparagus, shallots, peas, or even frozen vegetables

1 quart chicken stock

Take the meat from the chicken carcass and set aside.

Cook the carcass in the chicken stock in a covered pan for at least an hour until the broth tastes of real chicken. Add the vegetables and simmer for a further half hour.

10 minutes before serving, add the chicken meat, diced to bite sized pieces, and adjust seasoning.