Mushy Peas

Dried marrowfat peas soaked overnight with bicarbonate of soda and cooked to a thick, comforting green mush, the inseparable companion of fish and chips

Origin: Northern England

From the journey of Pea.

Mushy peas are a British institution, the soft, thick, brilliant-green mush that sits beside fish and chips across the North of England and beyond, and that forms the heart of the 'pea wet' poured over chips in the old chip shops of Yorkshire and Lancashire. They are not the same thing as the green peas of the garden, nor the yellow split peas of pease pudding: mushy peas are made specifically from marrowfat peas, mature green peas that have been left in the field to grow large and starchy and then dried hard, so that they swell and collapse into the characteristic dense, savoury mush. The trick that defines a proper mushy pea is the overnight soak with bicarbonate of soda. The alkali softens the tough dried skins and helps the peas break down to the right consistency while keeping their colour, and traditional soaking tablets sold for the purpose combine bicarbonate of soda with a little green colouring. After soaking, the peas need only a gentle simmer with a little salt and sugar until they collapse into a thick purée that holds its shape on the plate. Mushy peas are humble, frugal, and beloved, the descendant of the same dried-pea tradition that gave Britain pease pottage and pease pudding, but made from the green marrowfat rather than the split yellow pea. Whether eaten with fish and chips, with a meat pie and gravy, with bangers and mash, or simply on their own with a splash of malt vinegar and a pinch of mint, they are one of the defining tastes of the British chip shop.

Ingredients

Peas

250 g dried marrowfat peas

Soaking

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
700 ml cold water (for soaking), plus fresh water for cooking

Finishing

25 g butter (optional, for richness)

Seasoning

0.5 tsp caster sugar
0.75 tsp salt, or to taste
0.25 tsp freshly ground white or black pepper

Method

The night before, put the marrowfat peas in a large bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with the 700 ml cold water. Leave to soak for at least 12 hours, or overnight. The peas will swell to roughly double their size.
Drain the soaked peas and rinse them well under cold running water to wash off the bicarbonate of soda.
Put the rinsed peas in a saucepan and cover with fresh cold water by about 3 cm. Bring to a boil, skim, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then.
The peas are ready when they have broken down into a thick, soft mush, holding their shape on a spoon. Beat in the butter (if using), the sugar, salt, and pepper.
Serve hot, alongside fish and chips, a meat pie, or sausages, with malt vinegar at the table.

Notes

If you cannot find loose marrowfat peas, the 'quick soak' tablets sold for mushy peas contain the bicarbonate of soda (and often colouring) and work well; follow the packet timing. Tinned mushy peas exist but the dried, soaked version is far superior. The peas keep for a few days refrigerated and reheat with a splash of water.

The Gastrographer

Name: Mushy Peas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Northern England
Ingredients: 250 g dried marrowfat peas; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 700 ml cold water (for soaking), plus fresh water for cooking; 25 g butter (optional, for richness); 0.5 tsp caster sugar; 0.75 tsp salt, or to taste; 0.25 tsp freshly ground white or black pepper

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control