cook until it thaws). Serve immediately. Instead of yellow split peas you can make this using two 400g tins of chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Reduce the amount of water to 700ml/1¼ pints.

Check out Food & Wine's guide to split pea soup for more recipes and ideas on preparing this fail-safe, delicious soup.

A terrific soup that has been cooked all day is one of life's most simple pleasures. When you've been out and about all day, ...