If ever there was evidence of God, the humble pea is it.

Mother Nature has never created something of such perfection, something that takes Darwin's theory of evolution to the extent that a natural element can, over millions of years, evolve into something so flawless.

The green seed of the white-flowering climbing leguminous papilionaceous plant, pisum sativum, has become a dining-table favourite for good reason.

The perfect accompaniment to any meal, the diminutive spherical vegetable brings joy to billions worldwide, be they fresh, frozen, canned or dried.

Even leaving aside the astounding nutritional package, the taste explosion and texture of a well cooked pea is undeniably enough to award this deceptively simple seed the gold-medal of the foodstuff Olympics.

There is debate surrounding the tampering of the form of the original spherical vegetable. The question as to whether the 'mushy' pea is sacrilege or an innovative approach to re-package the perfect product is a sensitive issue. A similar argument arises when approaching the relatively new craze of mangetout. In-depth study is required, but for now it is too early to assess the true importance of this baby pea pod.

In its original form, the pea is a giant amongst food products and a deity of the vegetable world. It is not an exaggeration to say that peas can be described as nothing less than perfect spheres of joy.