Mushy Peas Potatoes and Ham

I absolutely love peas. For me, a life without peas isn’t worth living. I moved house late last year and I don’t have a freezer; no more emergency frozen peas for me. Happily it’s pea season now so lovely fresh peas are popping up in the veg box, at the farmers’ market and in the garden. If there’s one thing I like even more than peas it’s mushy peas. So for a deliciously easy summer dinner my mushy peas potatoes and ham is perfect.You will need:

• Lots of fresh peas, podded (at least one mug full, the more the better)
• 500g Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed, any larger ones halved or quartered
• A few thin slices cured ham (I used Serrano), roughly torn
• A couple fresh mint leaves, shredded
• Small knob of butter
• Salt and pepper

Start by podding the peas. This is one of my favourite kitchen jobs, no sarcasm.

Put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, drain and set aside.

Put the peas into a pan of salted boiling water for two minutes then drain but retain a little of the cooking water in the pan.

Add the butter, mint, salt and pepper to the peas and blend it all together. The water you kept in the pan will loosen it all up a bit.

Mix the mushy peas with the potatoes and top with the ham.

I love the vibrant colour of this dish. It’s simple to make when you’ve had a busy hot day and tastes so summery, sweet and savoury. As it makes the best of what’s in season (particularly if you’ve grown some of it) it’s pretty cheap too. My kind of food.