John Lennon's "Give Peas A Chance"

When I was a lad on Tyneside me Ma always made Pease Pudd'n' using the stock from a boiled bacon or ham joint and Yellow Split peas or Lentils

You put the pulses in a muslin cloth and tied it fairly tight then boiled them in the stock for an hour or so until they were 'mushy'.

Then you 'wrung' out as much liquid as possible and it was ready to eat - Delicious hot or cold, in sandwiches or salads or even as an addition to a roast dinner - I still love it but no one else in the family does.

During the Napoleonic wars, the French POW's who were being used as labour would be marched hither and thither and the story goes that at a certain point in their journey they would be rested and fed a simple, cheap but nourishing meal (Pease Porridge/Pudding).

It appears that the town/hamlet of Pease Pottage in Sussex gets its name from it being one of these 'stopping-off' points - Legend or truth??

Juan P-B