I don't personally know of any other pea with pods anywhere near as large, and although mine took a while to start producing, once they start off they get very big very quickly. Remarkably they retain their flavour even when they reach a huge size, and although they do start to go a bit stringy it's very easy to pull off the strings, leaving the rest of the pod with a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. Maybe a little too tender for some tastes ... if you like your mangetouts crisp and crunchy then this isn't the variety for you, as the pods are very soft indeed after cooking. Cook them too much and they're borderline mushy. They don't develop any fibre layer at any stage, which is unusual. Pod flavour is old-fashioned, strong and robust ... what I would call a 'green' flavour with a hint of bitterness. But I did find the flavour varied considerably from pod to pod (irrespective of size) with some a lot tastier than others, which makes it difficult to give a meaningful description.

Eight peas per pod is about average. Not that it makes much difference if you're eating the whole pod. Seeds are brownish and dimpled.

For me personally this is not a favourite, and I find the erratic and strong flavour not absolutely to my tastes. But to others it may well be a gourmet variety, so don't be put off trying it. It's certainly beautiful in the garden with its intensely coloured flowers, and the huge pods borne in pairs make for a very respectable yield. I'm sure somebody with better culinary skills than me could come up with some exellent ways to use this pea to get the best out of it. And to be honest you could grow it in the flower border just for its beauty.

If you're interested in pea breeding Carouby de Maussane would be a good choice to experiment with because it has several unique or unusual traits and clearly differs from modern conventional peas. It would bring some much needed genetic diversity to the mix and it'd be a good source of genes for large pods and beautiful flowers amongst other things.