Fresh Pea Summer Soup

• Dried peas were part of a staple diet in the Middle Ages in Europe.
• Eating fresh and immature green peas was a more modern delicacy.
• This soup could have only been made summer and the peas would have had to be shelled.
• The invention of fast freezing by Clarence Birdseye, an American, in the 1920s revolutionised the way we eat foods out of season, most notably green peas.
• In the past the vegetables would have had to be pressed several times through clothes or sieves – nowadays we have stick blenders and similar electrical cooking tools to make this easier.

Ingredients

• 100 -150g shelled or frozen peas
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• ½ a large lettuce
• 50g butter
• 1-2 lovage or celery leaves
• 1½ litres of vegetable stock – can be from a cube or powder
• 125ml of soured cream
• Chopped chives or flat-leafed parsley to garnish

Method

• Chop white and green parts of the spring onions in small rings.
• Gently fry in butter to soften but not to brown them.
• Cut the lettuce into thin strands.
• Add the lettuce and the peas to the spring onions and mix.
• Add the lovage or celery leaves and the stock.
• Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for up to 10 minutes until the peas are cooked.
• Take off the heat and leave to cool a little (for safety).
• Blend the soup until you have a thick purée.
• Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Bring back to the boil.
• Stir in the soured cream and serve.
• Add a dollop of soured cream to each serving.
• Garnish each dish with chopped chives, flat-leafed parsley to garnish.

Served in Royal Doulton – Carnation – 1982 -1998