Source: http://www.taste,com.au (with some minor amendments from me)

If you haven’t got a slow cooker already, buy one for $50-$60 (the bigger the better) and you’ll find it gets lots of use. This recipe couldn’t be much simpler and tastes amazing on a cold winter’s night.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 sticks celery, diced (I used leeks last time)
• 300g sebago potatoes (or whatever you have), peeled, diced
• 650g ham hock
• 1 packet green split peas, washed, rinsed (the original says one cup but if you like your soup spoon-standing-up thick like we do, throw in the whole pack)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve
• Crusty bread, to serve

Method

• Step 1
  Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, celery and potatoes. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl of slow cooker.
• Step 2
  Add ham hock, peas, stock, bay leaf and 1 litre cold water. Season with pepper. Cover with lid. Cook on high for 6 hours.
• Step 3
  Remove hock from soup. Remove and discard rind and bone. Shred ham. Return ham to soup. Cook on low for 1 hour or until ham and peas are tender. Serve with parsley and crusty bread.