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Authentic British Mushy Peas

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A thoroughly Authentic British Mushy Peas recipe!  The right flavor, the perfect texture, just like you know and love them from your favorite English pub or chippy!

Serve these mushy peas with British Fish and Chips or Bangers and Mash!

mushy peas recipe british english authentic traditional

What are fish & chips without mushy peas??  They are inseparable!   

What Are Mushy Peas?

Mushy peas is a quintessential British dish of marrowfat peas that are simmered until they fall apart, literally into a mush.  They are a traditional accompaniment to British fish and chips.  Fried fish & chips as a unified meal is thought to have originated in northern England just outside of Manchester in the mid-1800’s.  To this day the Northerners remain proud of their fish & chip legacy.  And they’re also quite insistent that fish & chips be served with mushy peas, the traditional side for generations.  While most areas throughout Britain offer mushy peas with fish & chips, you could say that in northern England it’s practically sacrilege not to.

When visiting Britain, even Michael Jackson insisted on mushy peas with his fish & chips.  So there you have it.  Inseparable.

Besides being the fish-and-chip-and-mushy-peas champion, Northern England is home to breathtaking landscapes, stunning historic cities and beautiful villages.  And I can’t talk about English food without talking about the country, so let’s take a brief tour.

A Brief Tour of a Beautiful Northern English City

One of my many favorite places in northern England is the city of Chester, which borders the northeast part of Wales.  I have ancestors from all over Great Britain including numerous parts of England, Scotland and Wales.  But my most recent ancestors, my great grandparents on my father’s side, come from Wales on one side of the family and from Cheshire, England (home of Chester) on the other.

Chester was originally founded as a Roman fort in 79 AD and later became a major civilian settlement.  It was 20% larger than any other fortress built at the time and historians speculate that Chester, not London, was meant to become the Roman capital in Britain.  A particularly powerful fortress, Chester was one of the last cities in England to fall to the Normans.

Chester remains one of the best preserved walled cities in all of Britain and features a number of medieval buildings.  During the years I lived in England, Chester was one of my favorite cities to visit.  It’s a remarkable and unique city with a gorgeous town center and stunning cathedral.

chester england

On a side note, Chester also used to have the world’s best fudge shop and you could sample the most wonderful, creative flavors of fudge while watching the fudge makers at work.  We were there this past May and it was gone!  Replaced by some good-but-not-nearly-as-good fudge chain store :(

I love Chester’s town center.  Just look at those gorgeous buildings!  And Chester even still has an official Town Crier – our kids are posing with him below.

chester england

The Chester cathedral is stunning.  The building of it began around 1093 AD and the process continued over several centuries with modifications and additions made over time.  As a result its construction incorporates every major style of English medieval architecture.  The cathedral is still in use for worship services and aside from being a major tourist attraction it also hosts concerts and exhibitions.

chester england

And circling back to our original topic of FOOD, should you ever order fish & chips at a chippy in Chester (that’s a tongue-twister!), you can be sure they’ll have mushy peas!

So let’s talk about how to make authentic mushy peas.  Most recipes you’ll find online improvise using fresh English peas or frozen peas and there are cooks in southern England that do the same.   Friends, those are completely the wrong peas.  Ask any Northerner and they’ll tell you that mushy peas must be made with marrowfat peas.

What Are Marrowfat Peas?

Marrowfat peas are mature green peas that have been deliberately left to dry out naturally in the field rather than being picked while they’re young like regular garden peas.  Marrowfat peas are what are traditionally used to make English Mushy Peas and they’re also the variety of pea used to make wasabi peas.  They much larger than regular peas and have a particularly high starch content.  This creates a very different consistency to mushy peas than regular peas will.  Cooked into Mushy Peas, marrowfat peas will give you a smoother, creamier consistency.

They’ll give you both a significantly different flavor and texture than regular peas and if you’re interested in making authentic mushy peas – the real deal – it will be worthy your time to hunt down the right peas.

Where Can You Buy Marrowfat Peas?

Unless you live in Great Britain, they’re hard to find.  I stock up on them when I go to England but fortunately you can also find them online.  You can buy genuine British marrowfat peas on Amazon.  Bachelor’s is probably the best-known brand of marrowfat peas.

mushy peas

Pro Tips

Again, if you want to make authentic mushy peas like the way they’re served at pubs and fish & chip shops throughout Britain, with the right flavor and right texture, be sure to use marrowfat peas.

The other key to making authentic mushy peas is to avoid embellishments.  Mushy peas are simple:  Marrowfat peas, baking soda (for softening), water and salt.  That’s it!  They’ll taste just like you remember them.

And as for green food coloring….NO WAY!!!!!

A really good fish & chip shop knows they don’t have to try and win you over by artificially making their peas look prettier.  Good mushy peas speak for themselves the moment you taste them.

mushy peas recipe british english authentic traditional

How to Make Mushy Peas

Let’s get started!

Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water.  Place the dried marrowfat peas in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them so they’re covered by at least 3 inches of water.  Give the peas a stir then leave them to soak for at least 12 hours.

Drain and rinse the peas and place them in a pot with about 3 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the desired consistency is reached.  Note:  How long you have to simmer the peas will depend on the particular crop and the age of the peas.

If it seems like it’s taking them forever to soften up, don’t worry, the peas will begin to break down within a few minutes (photo bottom right).

cooking the peas

Once the peas have fully broken down add the salt.

If the peas are too watery, continue to simmer with the lid off until it thickens to your liking.  If the peas are too thick, add a little water.  Taste again and add more salt if needed.

Once the peas are done they will start to thicken the longer they sit.  If reheating them later or the next day, add a little more water.

adding baking soda

Enjoy!

mushy peas recipe authentic traditional british english

Serve these mushy peas with British Fish and Chips or traditional meat pies.

fish and chips mushy peas recipe authentic traditional british english
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mushy peas recipe authentic traditional British English

Authentic British Mushy Peas

Authentic British mushy peas just like you know and love them from your favorite English pub or chippy!  The perfect flavor, the perfect texture, make your own mushy peas the right way!
4.99 from 129 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Soaking Time 12 hours
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine British, english
Servings 6
Calories 108 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 9 ounces dried marrowfat peas (there is no substitute, marrowfat peas are larger, have a higher starch content, and contribute the right flavor and texture for traditional mushy peas)
  • Boiling water
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water.  Place the dried marrowfat peas in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them so they're covered by at least 3 inches of water.  Give the peas a stir then leave them to soak for at least 12 hours. 
  • Drain and rinse the peas and place them in a pot with about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the desired consistency is reached. Once the peas have fully broken down add the salt. 
    Note: How long you have to simmer the peas will depend on the particular crop and the age of the peas.
  • If the peas are too watery, continue to simmer with the lid off until it thickens to your liking. If the peas are too thick, add a little water. Taste again and add more salt if needed.
    Once the peas are done they will start to thicken the longer they sit. If reheating them later or the next day, add a little more water.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 7gSodium: 573mgPotassium: 312mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2g
Keyword mushy peas
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 16, 2018

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.99 from 129 votes (95 ratings without comment)

111 Comments

  1. Read an “original recipe” on Reddit and wanted to try these. I love to cook, especially things I’ve never cooked before. I live in the southeast US (Florida/Georgia border) so I ordered some “Bigga dried marrowat peas” from Amazon and received them today. Can’t wait to try it using your recipe.

  2. You cannot get marrowfat peas in many countries, you can get split green peas which are an excellent substitute, and then just follow the same recipe

  3. There are some regional variations on mushy peas. In Scotland vinegar is added. Others add mint. I must order marrowfats online. Living in USA now too and i only see them in specialty shops in a can.

  4. Being from Sheffield originally, I am very familiar with proper mushy peas. I live in the American Southwest now and last weekend went to a restaurant called Cornish Pasty (there are multiple locations in the southwest) where they serve pasties lol. Anyway, they had mushy peas on the menu, so had to get them. They came out a bright green color and were sweet! Barf!!! Who in the heck thought they should add sugar and food coloring to mushy peas?

    1. Ha, yes sadly that doesn’t surprise me, Ali – we are after all in the land where everything is better bigger, sweeter, and more colorful! :) I haven’t heard of that restaurant chain but my husband’s from Arizona and maybe we’ll swing by the next time we’re there (although it sounds like we probably shouldn’t, lol!) We’ll be driving by Sheffield next month on our way to Yorkshire and I’ll be sure to give it a wave “hello” :)

  5. Here in South Africa , I can’t find marrowfat peas. We have had good success with the local split peas however. They do make excellent mushy peas , anointed with mint and vinegar , food of the gods 😋 .

  6. Good to see someone on the internet actually giving a proper recipe for mushy peas, rather than showing a recipe that is actually for pea puree or crushed peas and passing it off as the genuine article!
    I have been making mushy peas regularly for many years and the two key points are the long soak with a little bicarbonate of soda in the soaking water (which makes them more digestible) and the fact that you absolutely MUST NOT add any salt until the very end pf cooking, or else you will wait for hours for them to break down, because the salt will keep them firm.
    In my experience it is perfectly fine to start the overnight soak in cold water – no real need to use boiling – but otherwise my method is pretty much exactly the same, although I do add a touch of pepper to mine.
    It is worth mentioning that after all this long slow preparation process these can be frozen in individual portions, which will defrost and reheat in the microwave in just over 1 minute. I buy a 1kg bag of dried peas from my local store and make a great big pot of them, then freeze them for speedy serving whenever I fancy some.

  7. My mother was an Aussie war bride, and she often talked about the Aussie hand-held meat pies she missed so much. She told me they were often served topped off with “mushy peas.” I am an avid cook, and in time it was easy for me to find a recipe that lived up to her recollection of the hand-held pie, but she didn’t know how the mushy peas were made, and neither of us could come up with anything made from regular sweet peas, fresh, frozen or canned. Sadly she died before I learned about them here. I don’t make the pies that often anymore, but I enjoy these peas with a Sunday roast or any other braised meat right alongside the potatoes in whatever form they take.

    I found them, mom/mum, and you’re right — they’re great.

    1. Hi Tony. I am thinking your mum grew up in Adelaide – a pie floater was a pie covered in mushy peas served late at night from a food van in Adelaide. Fantastic! Maybe in the war years they were Australia-wide, but in the 1970’s basically an Adelaide classic. I have tried – like you – to recreate it with other peas but as you say – fresh, frozen etc no way! These pictures even look like those mushy peas – cant wait to try

  8. By the way, for us in the U.S.A.: If you buy even just one box of these peas, you now own a box filled with SEEDS. The Bigga Marrowfats peas are fully viable and you can plant a field of your own Marrowfats, basically, forever. I bought the 6 pack offa Amazon and took 5 peas out of one box and got 100% germination. Use them for pea sprouts, or in my use case, I’m going to plant a few raised beds next season and harvest my own Marrowfats. It’s nice to have a source for a meal, but to leverage them into a lifetime supply is even more fun.

      1. Here’s the thing: After I became infatuated with mushy peas here in the U.S., I tried every single seed retailer and the best that I could do was some sketchy ETSY sellers. Like 10 seeds for $5.00…. It was only after sleuthing some U.K. you tubers and blogs that I made the connection. It’s rare to buy “seeds” from a food retailer that are dual purpose. The only other seed like this would be Fenugreek from the Indian markets. I started using those in my raised beds to help fix nitrogen – a cover crop.

        1. Many grocery store legumes will grow – pinto beans, black eyed peas, etc. They make for cheap cover crops.

          Have you tried saving pea seeds from the first generation of plants to grow second generation plants? I grow mostly open-pollinated/heirloom veggies so I can save the seeds and enable the plants to adapt to my growing environment, but when I’ve tried growing second generation marrowfat pea plants from the saved seeds of the first generation plants, all I got were pea plants without a single pea on them.

  9. Sadly info is incorrect the first open Fish and chip shop was recorded in London .1863 and is still open today .Mushy peas is Northern dish first made in Chester according to Mrs Beaton

    1. Hi Kevin, I discuss the origins here in my fish and chips recipe post: https://www.daringgourmet.com/fish-and-chips/. What you’re referring to is the first “shop” to have opened and serve fish and chips, not the origin of the recipe itself. There are much earlier references to the fried fish portion of fish and chips, for example Charles Dickens made reference to it in 1838 and then again by Victorian chef Alexis Soyer in his 1845 cookbook. However fish AND chips – together – as a unified meal is thought to have originated in Manchester, with the first commercial shop to start serving it in London.

  10. By the way 30 mins to break the Peas down I don’t think so just did a batch and it was closer to 3 hours AND a little friendly persuasion with a hand masher . Taste great .

    1. My peas mashed down in 35 minutes and I had 9 ounces. I followed the recipe as above and it’s my first time making these peas! Very delicious.

  11. If you live in Toronto Mushy Peas are easily available at St Lawrence market lower level at a place called Rubes [ I think ] .

  12. Lancashire lad, tried your recipe several times and although they turned out ok I could never get the consistency I wanted. Then a friend suggested my slow cooker and they were perfect. Almost as good as my favourite fish shop in Fleetwood unfortunately 300 miles away.

  13. I have a question. When the peas are cooked the translucent hulls come off. These are chewy but have virtually no taste. I’ve been floating them off with cold water in the same way I would lentils then putting the peas back on to finish cooking. The result is wonderfully tasty and just as you describe but I see no mention of that cooking technique either here or on the Bigga box. Are the peas traditionally made with or without the hulls?

    1. Hi Warren, I’ll sometimes skim the hulls off that float to the top while the peas are cooking but it isn’t necessary – once the peas are fully cooked and the hulls are stirred back in they’re not noticeable.