成人快手

The children at Bicton primary school have taking a look at life over 500 years ago. A term's work led to a special medieval week.

Our reporter (and amateur chef... as well as occasional medieval gentleman) Nigel Dolman went along to lend a hand and introduce the children to a spot of medieval cooking.

A box of pea soup found its way into our newsroom recently and each sachet contained 18 ingredients. Life was a little simpler in the 15th Century and, in the absence of a supermarket, the children even dug up many of the ingredients. After Nigel lit the campfire, everyone took a turn to ladle in the peas and helped to cook a nutritious meal.

If you fancy cooking up Nigel's pea soup (not necessarily in the rain over a camp fire!), follow this recipe:

Per 500 grams of dried green split peas -

One large onion
Five rashers of smoked bacon
A few dark green cabbage leaves
Black pepper (no salt)
Olive oil or pork fat
Fresh chicken stock or a chicken stock cube (if you want to cheat)

• Soak peas overnight in water. Cut bacon into smallish, equal pieces. Dice onion into small pieces.听听听听听听
• Drain peas.
• Heat up olive oil and brown the bacon - just before it turns, add the onion but do not brown the onion.
• Mix in the peas and stir round until coated in bacon and onion
• Season with black pepper.
• Add hot stock - enough to cover peas - may need a second chicken stock cube for flavour.
• Bring to the boil and skim off any impurities from surface. Stir occasionally to stop peas burning at bottom of pan, and continue to cook until peas start to go mushy but are still pea shaped. Keep adding more water or chicken stock if it gets too thick.
• Just before the end of the cooking finely dice the cabbage leaves and stir them in. Don't over-cook them, but try to keep their natural green colour in contrast to the colour of the green peas.

This can all be done in a pressure cooker in a fraction of the time - but be careful of burning the bottom of the pan.