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Meaning the hard dried pease has always been one of the staples foods. The oldest, the Carlin pea (Pisum sativum ssp arvense), is a small, dark brown pea which is traditionally eaten during Lent in some north-eastern counties of England. Also known as grey peas, these are a sub-species of the green garden pea. Pease is the term for the dried form, while pea is the soft fresh form. Dried pease are either whole, green and wrinkled (still in their skins), or yellow, ‘split’ (separated into their two halves), unwrinkled and skinless. The whole green variety takes longer to soften (usually an overnight soaking) and cook (requiring several hours). Yellow peas can be cooked in a pudding bag during which they will swell and form a mass which is soft enough to eat.

Pease can be cooked in plain water, but has a better flavor if the water was first used to cook a ham, as long as it is not too salty. The trick with cooking and of the dried pulses is not to add salt until they are tender, early salting may prevent their even becoming tender. Purchasing a bag of dried green peas, you will often find a soaking tablet, change the water after soaking and before cooking.

One pound of dried pease will serve four people. Start by soaking the pease overnight (7-8 hours) in about three times their volume of water. Use a very large pot, as the swelling peas can end up spilling over the top. Rinse, return them to the pot, add lots of water, bring to a boil and then cover them and simmer for a couple of hours or until tender. Then drain them, add salt and pepper, plus butter and eat.

Pease Pudding
1lb (450 gm) (2 good cups) dried split pease (preferably yellow)

2oz (50 gm) butter

1 large egg

Salt and pepper

Start as above, soaking and then cooking the pease until just tender. Mash them with the butter, egg and seasoning and place the result in a muslin bag. Tie one end of the bag to the handle of a saucepan, either containing ham or salt pork, or plain water. Bring to a boil and cook for at least one hour. Turn the pudding out onto a serving plate and serve in slices with the meat, alternatively, allow it to cool completely before slicing, then it makes a tasty snack.

Pea Soup
Start as though making plain cooked pease, ideally in ham water, but using a larger saucepan. When the pease are tender, mash them and stir in a lot more water, bring them back to the boil and continue cooking until they have turned into a thick soup. Add morsels of cooked ham or pork or bacon crumbs before serving. Expect any uneaten soup to set solid when cold. Reheat it carefully, adding a little more water to prevent it sticking and burning.