Creating vegan versions of traditional British foods is a particular interest of mine. So this is the latest recipe in that vein, a vegan take on a quintessential British soup; pea and ham. This hearty soup combines peas, vegetables and shredded mock meat to create a wholesome, delicious lunchtime classic. I chose to use shop bought mock meat, specifically Juicy Marbles steak. That is however, rather spenny to say the least. So if you’d rather use a cheaper, homemade option, I would definitely recommend Smoky Ham Style Seitan. Either that, or coarsely grate 225g extra firm smoked tofu for a similar result
Serves; Six Cook time; 40 minutes
You’ll need;
- One tablespoon of oil
- One stick of celery, sliced (roughly 50g)
- One small onion, chopped (roughly 75g)
- One clove of garlic, sliced
- Two large potatoes, peeled and chopped (roughly 550g)
- One 500g bag of frozen peas
- One and a half litres of hot vegetable stock
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 225g mock meat
Method;
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once it’s warmed up, add in the celery, onion and garlic and fry for ten minutes, stirring every now and then
- While you’re making the soup, cook the mock meat as per the instructions on the pack and then set aside. Personally, I used Juicy Marbles steak and they worked brilliantly for this. They were also easy to shred into thin strips, which is more similar to the texture that I remember when I’ve eaten non-vegan versions of this soup (many years prior to me being vegetarian or vegan)
- Next, add in the potato and continue cooking the vegetables for another ten minutes. Give the soup a stir every now and then
- Add the hot stock to the saucepan, then bring the soup to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer and cook the potatoes for ten or fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes are tender
- Add in the peas to the soup and give them a stir, give them around five minutes to cook. Once they’re cooked, blend the soup until it’s beautifully smooth
- Shred the mock meat and then add this into the soup. Give it a good stir through and once it’s piping hot it’s ready to serve
This would be ideal served on a chilly day, along with plenty of crusty bread to dunk into the soup. Eating food like this is a wonderful way to warm up when it’s rainy and cold outside, it’s like a hug in a bowl
Bethany's Vegan Kitchen 