How to cook fresh garden peas whether it be on the hob, microwaving them or by steaming. Peas are a popular choice for many different meals. They are really simple to cook and also they don’t take long, a few minutes at most.

Freshly picked peas are firm and sweet to eat and they are packed full of goodness with lots fo Vitamin C, Some A and B6 and other nutrients.

Picked young and plump peas are sweet and firm and should pop in your mouth when lightly cooked.

There are many different ways to cook your garden peas.  Below a few different ways to cook them are covered, including straightforward cooking on the hob, cooking with butter and steaming.

How to Cook Fresh Garden Peas

How to prepare fresh garden peas for cooking

1. Pick your peas by removing them at the stalk
2. Remove your peas from their pods by popping open the pods at the sides and simply pushing the peas gently out with your fingers
3. Check peas for any holes.  You should be able to tell if there are likely to be any by the state of the pod itself but double check
4. Rinse your peas in cold water

Better Peas Tip: Pick them when they are younger but plump this will help reduce the chances of anything getting to them.

How to Cook Peas on the Hob

1. Add your peas to some boiling water, enough to cover your peas
2. Add salt or a small amount of sugar if you prefer (I tend not to, fresh garden peas shouldn’t need any extras really, but some people like to)
3. Pop on the lid to cover your peas
4. Cook them until they are lovely and soft and tender (about 2-3 minutes or so)
5.  Drain and serve

Variation 1 – Spicing up your peas with butter and mint

Alternatively, if you prefer something a bit extra you can cook your peas in butter.

1. Simply follow the instructions as for cooking your peas but without the added sugar or salt
2. Heat the butter until melted
3. Add the peas sugar and the mint leaves
4. Now cook them on a low heat setting for a couple of minutes mixing them
5. If you like salt and pepper now is the time to add those
6. Now your peas are ready to serve.

Variation 2 – A simple way to add butter to your peas

1. Simply follow the instaurations as for how to cook peas on the hob in full
2. Add warmed butter to your peas and allow to melt.

How to Steam Peas

When you ar steaming peas do the following

1. Add your peas to your steamer
2. Add some salt or a small amount of sugar if you prefer (optional)
3. Cook until they are soft (about 3-5 minutes or so), make sure your steamer doesn’t run dry
4. Remove from steamer and serve

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Super Posh Peas with Wine

Now if you are looking for something a little bit extra special for your peas for the dinner table I found this recipe by Jamie Oliver, he uses wine for his peas! Lucky peas.

How to Cook Peas in a Microwave

1. Prepare your peas as above
2. Put however many servings of peas you need (80g is one serving) into the microwave in a microwave safe bowl
3. Cover your peas with water (approx 15ml per serving)
4. Place a lid with a vent or some microwavable plastic film over your bowl
5. Cook your peas on a high setting for 3-5 minutes based on 3/4 servings of peas
6. Drain the water and serve your peas