Fresh spring peas are the cream of the crop
I love spring. It's one of the most vibrant times of year for local food. Here at the restaurant, La Becasse, in Ludlow, we are inundated with great produce. There's so much colour and flavour that the possibilities are almost endless.
One of my favourite ingredients is peas. I love fresh, sweet, bright green peas. And I love the small pea shoots that chefs also harvest at this time of year: they make a brilliant garnish and are packed with delicious flavour.
As a chef, I get to visit a lot of local producers and one of my favourites is Debbie Bakewell, at Charlton Farm, near Kidderminster.
They produce duck in the traditional way, focusing on rearing the birds naturally. At a few days old, the ducks are kept in a warm barn, but are allowed to wander outside once they are used to cooler temperatures. The ducks are fed on a wholesome, natural, cereal based, additive-free diet which includes our own, home-produced wheat. The birds are processed on our farm using time honoured methods. They are dry plucked and hung which all helps with the quality and flavour.
One of the delights of meeting people like Debbie is that I find out what else they do. One year, they started to grow peas, broad beans and courgettes, to help support their duck farm. The local pigeons found out about this and would gorge themselves on the plump green peas.
So the farm started to cull some of the pigeons to protect their crops. The pigeons, incidentally, tasted delicious.
Not everybody has the opportunity to buy fresh peas – and I'm not afraid to say I'm a huge fan of the frozen variety. If peas are picked and frozen within 20 minutes, then when you defrost them you have effectively got a completely fresh pea, packed with natural flavour.
As a commis chef, 15 years ago, I worked in kitchens where we got boxes of fresh peas and broad beans. We'd have to pop the peas and broad beans out of their pods, but then we'd have to take the small husk from the peas and broadbeans, which would take hours. Our head chefs wouldn't let us go home until they were done.
If you have an allotment, or a garden, I'd strongly recommend growing peas and broad beans. Make sure you eat the shoots and flowers too – they are all edible and will make your food looking stunning, as well as tasting great.
Will Holland is one of the UK's most successful young chefs. He earned a Michelin star before the age of 30, was named as one of the ten most influential chefs for the present decade and is the chef-patron of La Becasse, in Ludlow.
