To cook the ham hock

Place the ham hock, vegetables, spices and herbs into the casserole and cover with water. Place the casserole on the hob over a medium heat and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, place on the lid and cook for 1½ - 2 hours.Remove the cooked ham hock from the stock and shred the meat from the bone. Pour over a little of the cooking stock to keep the meat moist and set to one side. Strain the remaining cooking liquor from the casserole into a container and chill or freeze for later use in soups and sauces.

To make the hash

Drop the diced potatoes into a pan of boiling salted water, bring back to the boil, and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes until just tender. Drain well and leave to chill overnight if possible.Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the casserole over a medium heat on the hob, add the sliced onion and fry for 5 - 6 minutes until golden brown. Lift onto a plate with a slotted spoon.Heat the rest of the olive oil, add the part-cooked diced potatoes and fry for 8 -10 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they are golden brown and starting to break apart.Stir in the shredded ham hock, onions, broad beans, peas, butter, mustard, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 8 -10 minutes stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender and everything is piping hot.Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve in the hot casserole.

Ham knuckles are available from the butcher, you can also use a small smoked gammon joint. Ready cooked ham hock can be found whole or shredded in the chilled department in good supermarkets.Frozen vegetables can be added from frozen as they have already been blanched and once defrosted will cook quickly.