Best supermarket frozen peas, tasted and rated

The sweetness of a pea signals how recently it was picked: as sugars convert to starch the flavour fades and the texture becomes more fibrous. Top-quality frozen peas are picked, blanched and frozen quickly — usually within two and a half hours — though soil, seed quality, transport and a stable freezer temperature also affect the final product.

All the peas scored well for taste, but textures varied. Sweetness was measured with a Brix refractometer, with an extra point for peas rated 10 or more; cost, country of origin and organic status were also taken into account. Best overall: M&S British garden peas (£1.70 for 1kg at Ocado, 17p/100g) ★★★★☆.

Bright green peas with a firm texture, a sweet, floral flavour and the grower (East Coast Viners) clearly labelled; packed and frozen within 90 minutes and a 10.7 Brix score. Best bargain: Asda garden peas (£1.45 for 1kg at Asda, 15p/100g) ★★★★☆.

United Kingdom

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