Split pea and bacon soup

You can't beat this soup. Warming, bacony, thick and delicious, served with some fresh bread it makes a perfect lunch. I always cook it in a pressure cooker and it's very quick and easy. It would need to cook much longer in a normal saucepan and I'm not sure how it would turn out. 

• 1 large onion
• 250g cooking bacon, chopped (preferably smoked)
• 200g dried yellow split peas
• 1 litre ham, chicken or vegetable stock (be careful if using a stock cube, as it can become too salty if the bacon is also particularly salty)
• 1 bay leaf

1. In a large pressure cooker start to heat the bacon gently until the fat begins to run out. If the bacon is very lean, add a little olive oil.
2. Add the chopped onion and fry gently for 3 or 4 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add the split peas, stock and bay leaf and give it all a good stir.
4. Close the pressure cooker and cook the soup under pressure for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave it to come down from pressure.
5. Take out the bay leaf and puree the soup with a hand blender.
6. Check the seasoning and serve immediately. It also freezes well, so I usually make up a big batch.