Pea and leek fritters

Pea fritters are a bit of a rare sight these days except when you come across them in the odd fish and chip shop. Traditionally they would have been made with marrowfat or mushy pea leftovers but using fresh or frozen peas works equally as well. You can serve these as snacks with drinks or as an accompaniment to meat or fish dishes, or even as a starter with a mayonnaise-based sauce. 150g podded weight of peas 1tsp caster sugar 60g butter 1 medium leek, trimmed, halved, finely shredded and washed and dried Salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable or corn oil for frying For the batter 3tbsp Doves Farm gluten-free self-raising flour, or just self-raising flour About 150ml beer or cider to mix Cook the peas in boiling salted water with the sugar for 8-10 minutes until well cooked, then drain and blend in a food processor until smooth. Transfer into a piece of muslin or a clean cloth and squeeze out any excess water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan, add the leeks, season and gently cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring every so often. Transfer to a bowl, mix with the peas and season. Line a tray with clingfilm and spoon heaped teaspoon-sized pieces of the mixture on to the tray. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours or so, until set. You can give them a blast in the freezer if you wish to speed up the process. To make the batter, mix enough beer or cider with the flour in a bowl to make a fairly thick batter; season. Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or an electric deep-fat fryer. Carefully, with a spoon, drop the pea mixture into the batter then remove and drop straight into the hot oil, a few at a time, turning them with a slotted spoon for a couple of minutes until golden; then remove and drain on some kitchen paper. From / The Independent