Pearl Barley and Stew Packs

Lentils? I only paid £1.35 for my last pack - didn't think that was expensive?
I soak my pulses overnight, before cooking them.
Barley, I find cooks in about 30 mins, as do the orange split lentils, but the whole lentils and yellow split peas can take quite a bit longer.
I've never understood why they sell them mixed in bags tbh - unless it's a throwback to post war cooking. My mum used to soak them overnight and in the morning the stew pot was put on the range, with dried and fresh veg, and meat and left to cook ALL DAY. 
Don't think they'd work in a microwave, as they need slow cooking

I used to just slap everything in the slow cooker - no soaking 

I found some of the peas stayed hard, when I tried that 

What about carlins?

Cheers,  Tony.

Soaked the stew mix overnight after 10 mins in the microwave. 

Curious why you did that? The microwaving would have hardened them even more than they already were?

Split peas can be an oddity when it comes to cooking times. There are some varieties that will soften in about 30-45 mins and others will remain hard for hours! That is with freshly harvested and dried peas too. At the risk of a snigger, they stay hard longer the older they get. The ones in "soup mix" could be untold eons old which may be why they didn't cook well for you.

If possible, try liquidising them with a stick blender to make a chunky soup. You may find they end up a bit like the ground almonds in a korma sauce.