Simple fare but very satisfying with crusty bread.

Ingredients - serves 4

1 gammon hock
stock vegetables - (1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 1 stick celery)
5 peppercorns
small sprig thme

300g puy lentils
1 leek, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
25g butter
salt, pepper

Method

1 Peel and halve the stock onion, peel the carrot and halve, trim the leek and chop into chunks. Add all stock vegetables and peppercorns to a pan together with the hock, cover with water and bring to the boil. Remove scum from the surface and reduce to a gentle simmer for 2 hrs until the meat is very tender. Reserve the hock and strain the stock through a sieve, reserve.

2 Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the diced vegetables and thyme gently over a low heat until softening. Add puy lentils and about a litre of gammon stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender and some are disintegrating. Remove rind from the hock and shred the meat into the lentils, season to taste and serve in warmed bowls.