Age: unknown
Background: donated to the Heritage Seed Library from seeds saved by a retired farmer, who got it from the local gravedigger
My supplier: Heritage Seed Library
Pros: wonderful sweet flavour, vigorous, high-yielding
Cons: none

The age and origins of the Gravedigger pea are unknown and may never be known, along with its real name (if it ever had one). It's probably safe to assume that Gravedigger wasn't its original name, but like so many other varieties it came to the Heritage Seed Library with only a sketchy history, and was named after the earliest known person who grew it. In this case a gravedigger, who passed it on to a farmer called Mr Thompson.

Whatever, my instincts tell me it probably isn't an ancient variety because it has a few modern traits. Very nice ones, as it happens.

I was very surprised to find that Gravedigger flowers attract bees. If you've ever looked at the workings of a pea flower, the parts the bees are interested in are all sealed up and there's really nothing to attract them, so it's unusual to see bees taking an interest in peas. (The flowers are self-fertile and don't need insect pollinators.) Whether the bees were actually getting into the flowers (which would make Gravedigger very susceptible to cross-pollination) I don't know ... I suspect not because they generally flew away in frustration after a couple of attempts. But it's possible. If desperate enough bees will bite their way through a sealed flower.

Pairs of green pods develop rapidly once the flowers have gone over, flat with a slight knobbliness. I tried eating some whole while they were still young but the flavour was a bit "green". There's no doubt Gravedigger isn't cut out to be a mangetout and it's much better to let the pods mature for shelling out. The pods soon get fibrous as they age, eventually ending up quite leathery.

Photo: Flowers are borne in pairs on dainty stems.

Gravedigger only produces about 6 or 7 peas per pod, and the pods, although fat, are not huge. Not in the same league as some of the tall heritage peas. But it's so generous in its yields it easily makes up for it with the quantity of pods. And the peas themselves are very large indeed. Unlike many large peas, they remain rounded and don't get squidged out of shape (at least not until they reach a very late stage). The pods become very firm and heavy when they're mature, which makes it easy to judge when they're ready to harvest.

I found that Gravedigger crops over a reasonably long season, so you can just harvest what you need for each meal and not be landed with a one-off glut. In other words, it's a good variety for gardeners.

Photo: Young pods

Of course the real badge of quality for peas is the flavour. I couldn't tell you what Gravedigger tastes like when it's cooked because frankly it would be a waste to cook anything that tastes so good raw. Straight from the pod, the peas are exquisitely sweet. Even when they reach full size they retain most of their sweetness. But there's more to a pea's flavour than sweetness ... there's a character of flavour too, which is hard to put into words. A richness and sophistication of taste rather than just a high sugar content. And Gravedigger has that in abundance. It's among the best flavoured peas I've tasted, and burstingly juicy to boot.

I recommend this variety very highly. It's healthy and easy to grow and the peas are a joy to eat. An instant favourite for me.

Photo: The pods aren't the biggest around, but they're plump and full of very large round peas with an excellent flavour.