Peas & Beans

Peas, also referred to as legumes, are fruits that grow in pods on vine plants and are cooked and consumed as a vegetable. The pods are the fruit of the plant, while the orbs inside which we consider the peas, are the seeds of the plant. The most common pea is the garden pea, which are small, green spheres and are removed from their pod for consumption. They are tender, but can be crunchy when breaking their skin and they are pleasantly sweet with a faint bitterness. Peas are enjoyed worldwide as a side dish and often cooked by boiling, but can also be added to casseroles, stews, rice dishes and pies or mashed and pureed for baby food. Peak pea season is May to November.

There are many different types of peas enjoyed around the world. Our popular peas include sugar snap peas, chickpeas, marrowfat peas and split peas

Sugar snap peas are eaten whole, and are often found in salads, stir-fries and are great steamed.

Peas in pods are thick, crunchy and plump with seeds, the taste is sweet. Both the stems and strings that run from the base to the tip of the pod usually need to be removed before being eaten.

Marrowfat peas are essentially garden peas, however, are more mature and have been allowed to dry out meaning they are more starchy. They are used to make traditional British mushy peas and Japanese wasabi peas.

Split peas are often confused with lentils as they look almost identical. However, split peas are dried, their outer skin removed and they are then split in half. They are often used for pea soup, hummus and Indian dal. As they are dried out, their texture is hard, but when cooked until tender, they become creamy with a sweet flavour.

Beans are also legumes and fall into the same family as peas, so are extremely similar. Beans also grow in edible pods on vine plants, but are often removed from their pods and eaten. They differ more from one variety to the next in comparison to peas, in terms of shapes and colours. Beans can be cooked in many ways including frying, baking and boiling.

Some of our popular beans include runner, Borlotti and butter beans.

Runner beans are similar to sugar snap peas in appearance but much longer in length and they too need to be stringed before eating. The pods have a tender crunch and the beans are firm. Their UK season runs from June to November.

Butter beans also known as lima beans are large, flat and creamy white in colour. They have a mild buttery flavour and smooth texture and are used in salads, dips, stews and braises.

Borlotti beans are beige with speckles of reddish-brown and are popular in Italian cuisine. Used for soups, salads, chillis and casseroles, they have a smooth, creamy texture and a nutty, sweet flavour.