The Wizard of Notts Recommends: ...things you never knew about unique British delicacy, mushy peas

Marky the Wizard is stirring the cauldron...things you never knew about unique British delicacy, mushy peas

1) Mushy peas have been eaten in Northern England since the early 14th Century, possibly even earlier. Potential traces of mushy peas have been found in Mortimers Hole in Nottingham, which dates back to the time of Robin Hood.

2) Marrowfat peas, which require at least 24 hours of water-based marination to prepare, are essential to create mushy peas. 

3) On several points-based slimming programmes, mushy peas are ZERO POINTS and can be eaten in large quantities, though it is unlikely you will have many friends (see point 7)

4) Depending on the part of the UK the dish originates, mushy peas can range from a flat bottle green appearance all the way through to a radioactive emerald hue. The brighter the colour, the tastier the mushy peas, is the rule of thumb.

Mushy peas

5) You can eat mushy peas with anything. Here, the Wizard displayed remarkable flexibility in serving the peas with boiled new potatoes in the skin, a par-boiled free range egg and a pepper sauce jus. Sausages are totally made for mushy peas and a famous dish to try around the Thanksgiving bonfire is a pot of mushy peas with a dash of mint sauce. Scrumptious!

 

Marky the Wizards dinner

6) Acolytes of mushy peas allegedly include TV's Keith Lemon, famed political prisoner Nelson Mandela. talentless doll impersonator Jordan, ageless crooner, Mick Jagger, children's writer JK Rowling, puppeteer Matthew Corbett and artist Lucien Freud. 

Lucien Freud, painter of the most expensive painting ever sold by a British artist. Fan of mushy peas.

7) Mushy peas can cause grotesque flatulence so do not mix with baked beans.

8) Spice up your birthday party by making delicious mushy pea cakes by adding flour, sugar, chocolate, marzipan, treacle and pastry.  

9) Royal baby George is likely to be given a formula based on the recipe for mushy peas when he first starts on the solids.

10) You will only find mushy peas in the UK, but here is a magnificent recipe for those of you on foreign shores and who have access to marrowfat peas.

http://britishfood.about.com/od/tzrecipes/r/Traditional-Mushy-Peas-Recipe.htm

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