This week’s newsletter is written by Emily Lloyd, who is part of Riverford’s team of chefs, writers, recipe creators & proud veg nerds.
It feels like beans are finally having their moment – according to my social media feed anyway. Hearty, satiating recipes featuring chickpeas and butter beans in particular are becoming increasingly popular, as many more people unlock the true potential of these fibre- and protein-rich plants, realising they are failsafe gems for quick, healthy, comforting, and affordable meals.
According to research by the Food Foundation, the brilliant bean also has a lower carbon footprint than any other source of protein. At Riverford, I work with a team of chefs to create the most delicious veg-centric recipes possible, and as someone who is always cooking at home in my spare time too, I’ve become partial to a ‘better bean’ – the supremely plump, delicious, moreish kind you tend to find in jars, as opposed to tins or cans.
In the UK, Bold Bean Co are leading the way with their jarred beans, which, if you’ve tried them, you’ll hopefully agree, are a very superior bean. So good in fact, that you may feel compelled to eat them straight from the jar. My two-year- old is living proof of this, having gone through a slightly obsessive stage where he’d demand chickpeas from the jar first thing in the morning (as early as 6am!).
However, while researching this newsletter, I realised I must be living in a bean echo chamber (and to be fair, Riverford HQ is stuffed with co-owners who are mightily fond of a bean and pulse) – because, on average, two thirds of the UK population eat less than one portion of beans a week. And of that proportion, 50% of kids and 37% of adults get their single portion from a serving of baked beans. Now, I love a baked bean too, but to align with the Planetary Health Diet UK guidelines, our average bean consumption would need to be seven times higher.
I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted with many of you reading this newsletter, but beans and veg are the ultimate, easy, nutritious pairing. And that’s why this month we’ve launched a limited Bold Bean Co Batch Cook Box – with two jars of organic beans and a selection of veg to make a hearty white bean soup and a colourful chickpea traybake. We’ve even popped in some different ideas for how to make the most of your ingredients (both recipes work brilliantly for packed lunches too). Individual jars of their beans are also available to add to your box, and we’ve got plenty of ideas on the website at riverford.co.uk/recipes/veg-and-bean for your bean-spiration!
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