Peas get their very own week link

The first Great British Pea Week is set to launch this summer.

The inaugural event will run from 11-17 July 2016, coinciding with the British pea harvest.

Launched by the Yes Peas! campaign and UK pea growers, freezers and machinery companies, Great British Pea Week aims to increase awareness and understanding of the provenance and heritage of peas, giving British consumers a reason to celebrate peas during harvesting time.

The UK is the largest producer and consumer of frozen peas in Europe and from July, approximately 700 pea growers will harvest two billion portions of peas to feed Britain for the year. Britain is 90 per cent self-sufficient in pea production with 35,000 hectares of peas grown in the UK each year, equivalent to about 70,000 football pitches.

Tim Mudge, commercial Manager of the British Growers Association, which runs the Yes Peas! campaign, said: “Growing peas is a mainstay of livelihood for so many British farmers and very much a product of the seasons - we want to put peas firmly on the calendar and give consumers a reason to celebrate and enjoy this versatile and nutritional vegetable during the British harvesting season, as well as all year round.

“On average everyone in Britain eats nearly 9,000 peas per year and we hope that Great British Pea Week will help to raise awareness and understanding amongst consumers of the important provenance and heritage of frozen peas and their journey from the field to our freezers.”

There are currently 20 pea farmer groups along the east coast of the UK, from Essex to the north of Dundee. The east-facing seaboard and maritime climate is the perfect environment for growing superior quality peas.