There’s something incredibly comforting about a bowl of homemade ham and potato soup on a cold day – this hearty soup is rich, nourishing and packed with flavour. It’s the perfect way to use up leftover ham and makes an easy family dinner that tastes even better the next day.

  • Leftover Christmas ham works beautifully in this recipe.
  • For extra vegetables, add diced carrot, celery or cauliflower.
  • Full-cream milk creates the creamiest result, but light milk will also work.
  • The soup thickens further as it cools, making leftovers even better the next day.
  • You could easily make this in a slow cooker, adding everything at the start, and setting on low for 6 hours.
June 9, 2026

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 750 g potatoes, peeled and diced (sebago or desiree work best)
  • 1 smoked ham hock (or 250–300g leftover ham, see notes)
  • 1 L chicken stock
  • 2 c full-cream milk
  • 2 tbsp. plain flour
  • ½ tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp. sea salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • Chopped parsley or chives, to serve

Instructions

  1. Place ham hock, stock, onion and garlic in a large pot. Simmer 1.5–2 hours until ham is tender.
  2. Remove hock, shred meat, discard bone and excess fat.
  3. Add potatoes to the broth and simmer 20–25 minutes until soft.
  4. Mash or lightly blend part of the soup for creaminess.
  5. Whisk flour into milk, then stir into soup. Simmer 5–10 minutes until thickened.
  6. Return shredded ham to the pot. Season to taste.