What to do with the stock from the hock or trotter

The cooking liquid from the hock or trotter is known as "stock". This is good stuff! Save it. Put it in a bowl with some clingfilm over it and put it into the fridge. You can freeze it too.

The best thing to do with this is make a soup. My favourite soups using this stock are:

Pea and Ham and
Lentil and Sausage

To make pea and ham soup, take 8oz of dried peas and soak them for 24 hours with some bicarbonate of soda. Drain and rinse them. Peel and finely chop an onion, a couple of carrots and some celery or a leek if you have it. Melt some butter, or add some oil or lard or dripping to a large saucepan. If you're watching the calories or have no fat in the house, put about half an inch of water in the bottom. Add the chopped veg and fry off until they're transparent. Now add the rinsed and drained peas and about 3 pints of stock, and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for another 2 - 3 hours. Chop some of the meat from the hock or trotter and add to the pan. This soup will serve 6. (Actually it serves me and hubby for 2 meals but then we're gluttons!)

Lentil and Sausage soup is even easier. Take 8oz of green or brown lentils and rinse them under the cold tap in a sieve. Fry some chopped veg as in the pea soup recipe, add the lentils and the stock and cook for about an hour. I think this soup tastes best with some frankfurters (hot dog sausages) chopped into 1 inch sections and added 5 minutes before you serve it.

Note I haven't told you to add any salt or pepper. This is because I want you to taste it to see if it needs it. Always be guided by your taste buds. If you've used a ham hock there may well be enough salt in the stock anyway.

Serve with crusty bread if you have it. If you're using thin sliced bread, toast it and cut into triangles. There's posh!