Best Mushy Peas: Harry Ramsdens Mushy Peas?

I love old fashioned chip shop mushy peas and years ago all chip shops would serve the same type.  These days, however, most chip shops are serving tinned mushy peas and they’re a big disappointment.

The proper way to make genuine old fashioned mushy peas is to take some dried peas, steep them overnight with a tablet of bicarbonate of soda (which used to be provided in the box), then rinse them and boil the peas in water in a saucepan, before simmering for a looooong time.  The mushy peas are ready when the outer husks have mostly broken away from the inner peas and often stuck to the edge of the saucepan.

They’re the best mushy peas and the sort my mum used to make for us regularly.

However, it’s not always convenient to plan ahead and go through all this just for some nice mushy peas, so I’ve started to try to find the best mushy peas in a can that are available.  I’ve tried most of the supermarket budget lines and they’re pretty rubbish – they’re mostly just tinned marrowfat peas.

So far the best mushy peas, closest to the old fashioned type, had been Harry Ramsdens Chip Shop Style Mushy Peas.  So when a supermarket had Harry Ramsdens Mushy Peas on offer at “2 for 80p” I stocked up and bought four cans!  It never occurred to me they’d changed the recipe!Harry Ramsdens Mushy Peas

I did this for two reasons:

  1. So I can have mushy peas with chips at home – and know they will be really tasty, comfort food.
  2. So I can make a saving on the cost of mushy peas from a chip shop if I do pick up some chips. Chip shops will typically charge £0.75-£1 for a smallish pot, whereas I can have my own tins of peas at home for just £0.40 a can and microwave them in 2-3 minutes.

It might sound a bit tight, but if the chip shop are going to serve me sub-standard mushy peas at a premium price, I’m better off providing my own, chosen brand, mushy peas at less than half the price!  If I put the peas in the microwave before I unwrap my chips, they’ll be just about ready by the time I’ve got my chips onto a plate, got a knife/fork, sprinkled my chips with vinegar and put the chip wrappers in the bin!

They Are Not the Same!

Review:

Now – the problem is, these aren’t the Chip Shop Style Mushy Peas from Harry Ramsdens I had a few years ago – and, well, they’re simply not the same.

They are not as good, not what I’d call “proper old-fashioned mushy peas”, so I am back to square one and trying to find the best tins of mushy peas, but I’ve still got 3.5 cans to eat my way through!

Cooking Canned Mushy Peas:

  • Hob: Empty the can into a saucepan, heat on the hob gently, do not boil. Serve when the peas are hot.
  • Microwave: Empty the can into a microwave-safe container, cover with a gap to vent excess steam. Heat on full power (750 watts) for 2.5 minutes, stirring half way through. Allow to stand for 1 minute before serving.

Nutrition and Calories in Harry Ramsdens Mushy Peas, per FULL can:

One can is two portions, but here are the values for a full can.  I usually heat/serve half a can and put the other half in a lidded pot in the fridge, they can be used in the next 2-3 days, or even frozen.

  • Calories: 220 kcal
  • Fat: 1 gram
  • of which saturates: 0.2 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 34.4 grams
  • of which sugars: 5.4 grams
  • Fibre: 8.8 grams
  • Protein: 13.8 grams
  • Salt: 1.58 grams

Half a can of mushy peas counts as one of your five-a-day, if you’re bothered.  🙂