Take one quart of split peas, put to them five quarts of cold water, quarter of an ounce of Jamaica pepper, two large onions, one pickled herring (washed in two or three waters and the roes out) skinned and cut to pieces. Boil all together till a quart is diminished. Pour in a pint of boiling water, and let the whole boil a quarter of an hour; take it off and strain it through a cullender; throw into the soup seven or eight heads of celery, three heads of endive—all of them cut very small—together with a handful of dried mint, passed through a lawn sieve. Set all these on the fire and boil the whole near three-quarters of an hour, stirring the soup perpetually to prevent burning, which it will do in a moment, and therefore the pot should stand on a trivet. Bread cut small and fried crisp in butter must be thrown into the soup ; then serve.

[From an Old Gentleman's Diary of 1777).

Split Pea Soup. Four Hours

Soak one quart of split peas over night; in the morning take three pounds of beef, a coarse piece will do, put it in the soup pot with the peas, add four quarts of water; boil gently for three hours, skimming it well, then put in a small onion cut up, some thyme, pepper and salt. It must be boiled till the peas are entirely dissolved, then strain it, and serve it up with toasted bread cut in small squares.