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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 2 votes

Chip Shop-Style Mushy Peas

Proper chip shop style mushy peas are a British classic! A staple side dish for crispy fried fish and chips.
Cook Time35 minutes
soaking time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 35 minutes
Course: side dish
Cuisine: British
Keyword: chip shop peas, marrowfat peas, mushy peas
Servings: 4 - 6 servings
Author Nicky Corbishley

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

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 565mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g

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