As he guided his giant harvester through a field in eastern England, James Williams still had another nine hours to go before finishing his 12-hour shift.
Even then, other workers would continue through the night gathering a once ubiquitous vegetable that growers believe could be about to have a new moment in British life.
The frozen pea, a humble staple of the country’s cuisine, may be on its way back.
At least, that’s what Britain’s vegetable producers are striving for, as food prices spike and shoppers increasingly turn to the freezer cabinets in supermarkets to help keep weekly costs down.
That, growers say, offers another opportunity for pea producers to restore the popularity of a product that was a staple of the 1970s, but which fell out of fashion as shoppers sought out farm-to-table produce like broccoli, peppers, avocados and other, more exotic, vegetables.
Persons:
James Williams, ”, Holly Jones
Organizations:
British Growers Association
Locations:
England