Proper chip shop style mushy peas are a British classic! A staple side dish for crispy fried fish and chips.
A simple overnight soak, then you can boil them up to mushy perfection!

A tall image of mushy peas in a black bowl, with a silver spoon sticking out of it. In the background you can see chip shop style fish and chips on some newspaper. This is on a dark wooden board.

If it isn’t slightly murky green and lumpy then it’s not proper mushy peas! No food colouring please – we want to savour that greenish swamp colour 😄
There is literally no way you can dress up how mushy peas look. But let us not judge a book by its cover!

They’re delicious! – A classic accompaniment to fish and chips!

I like to squeeze a little lemon juice over the top for some tangy freshness and dip in some lovely salty chippy chips.

📋 Ingredients
How to make mushy peas
Pro Tip
🍽️ What to serve it with
🍲 More fantastic side dishes
Chip Shop-Style Mushy Peas Recipe

📋 Ingredients

Dried Marrowfat Peas – Using dried peas is best because when they dry, they get more starchy texture, which is what gives mushy peas that lovely creaminess. You can buy dried marrowfat peas at any large supermarket (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Walmart etc.) or whole foods shop.

How to make mushy peas

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Soak the peas with boiling water and bicarbonate of soda. I like to soak them overnight.

A wide overhead image of some dried peas soaking in water, in a clear glass bowl. This is on a wooden background.

Drain and rinse them, then boil in water, stirring occasionally until perfectly mushy.

Here’s how they look during cooking. It took about 30 minutes to get to the texture in the final image.

A collage of four images, separated by white lines, at the top left corner of each image, there is a white circle with the numbers 1-4 in each. In the top left image, there are some green peas, covered in water in a silver pot, which is on a black induction hob. The top right image shows green peas covered in water, which is boiling. This is in a silver pot, on a black induction hob. In the bottom left of the image, there is a silver pot of mushy peas, on a black induction hob. And in the bottom right of the image there is a silver pot if cooked mushy peas, with a wooden spoon sticking out of the dish. This is on a black induction hob.

Stir in salt, pepper and sugar and serve!

Pro Tip

You can adjust or add seasoning to your own taste. I like to add a little squirt a little lemon juice after serving for a tangy twist!

This dish is a staple in chippys across the UK.

A tall, overhead shot of Chip Shop Style Mushy Peas in a black bowl. There is a silver spoon, sticking out of the right of the dish. A slate grey napkin covers the left of the background. The background is light grey.

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🍽️ What to serve it with

Beer Battered Fish is a chippy classic!
Dip in some Chip Shop-Style Chips for a delicious salty snack.
Serve it with Tartare Sauce as a part of a Chip Shop Feast!

I take after my dad in my love for mushy peas!

A tall, overhead shot of Chip Shop Style Mushy Peas in a black bowl. There is a silver spoon, sticking out of the left of the dish. A slate grey napkin covers the left of the background. The background is light grey.

🍲 More fantastic side dishes

British Classic Recipes

Creamy Coleslaw Recipe

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A square image of mushy peas in a black bowl, with a silver spoon sticking out of it. In the background you can see chip shop style fish and chips on some newspaper. This is on a dark wooden board.

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5 from 1 vote

Chip Shop-Style Mushy Peas

By Nicky Corbishley

Proper chip shop style mushy peas are a British classic! A staple side dish for crispy fried fish and chips.

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 12 35

Servings: 4 – 6 servings

Course: side dish

Cuisine: British

Ingredients

To Soak:

▢ 250 g (8.8oz) dried marrowfat peas
▢ 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (or use the soaking tablets if your marrowfat peas comes with them)
▢ 850 ml (1.5 pints) just boiled water

To Cook:

▢ 600 ml (1 pint) water
▢ ½ tsp sugar
▢ ½ tsp salt
▢ ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Place the dried peas into a large bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda and pour over the just boiled water.
250 g (8.8oz) dried marrowfat peas, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 850 ml (1.5 pints) just boiled water
Stir together, cover, and leave the peas to soak for 12-16 hours (no need to refrigerate).
Drain and rinse the peas.
Add the water to a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to the boil and add the drained peas.
600 ml (1 pint) water
Stir together, bring back to the boil and simmer for 25-35 minutes until the thickness is to your liking. Be sure to stir occasionally, and mush them down a little with a wooden spoon during cooking. You'll need to stir more often in the last 10-15 minutes, to prevent the peas sticking/catching on the base of the pan.
You can add a little more water if you like a thinner consistency.
Stir in the sugar, salt and pepper.
½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
Have a taste and add a little more seasoning if desired, then serve.

Notes

Cooking time

How do you like your mushy peas? Adjust your simmering time to suit you preference. If you find you go too far and the peas are a bit too thick, you can add a splash of water to loosen up.

25 minutes – fairly runny mushy peas
30 minutes – thick, spoonable mushy peas
35 minutes – quite stiff mushy peas

Pea shells and foam

You may notice that after 10-15 minutes of simmering, some of the shells from the peas and a bit of foam rise to the top of the pan. You can skim this off if you prefer, but I find it doesn’t alter the look or taste of the finished mushy peas, so I don’t skim.

Make ahead

You can make this ahead and refrigerate. First, you make up the mushy peas as per the instructions, then, quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, pour into a pan, and cook on a low heat, stirring often, if you like you can add a splash of water at this stage to loosen it up. Once it is piping hot throughout, serve.

How to scale up and scale down this recipe

This recipe can be doubled up for a crowd or halved for a few people, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe serving 6 people.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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