The pottage would have been made with whatever vegetables were in season. However, dried vegetables such as peas and beans were often served in Lent; by which time the winter food stocks were very low. This helped people survive until early spring produce (nettle tips, ground elder and spring greens) began to grow.
In the past, it was considered that the thicker the soup, the better the quality of the pottage.
For pictures of the cooking process see our Vegetable Pottage Picture Gallery.
With thanks to Cathy Flower-Bond (Tudor Tales) and the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum for their help with making this podcast.