Broad beans

£3.75 / 750g

About

Enjoy the fresh, earthy taste of our organic broad beans – a burst of greenery to brighten up your plate. They're wonderfully versatile in the kitchen: when very young and fresh, they’re good raw in salads with shavings of parmesan. And once cooked, they can be whizzed with olive oil and garlic into a dip, tossed into pasta dishes and risottos, or served as a simple side.

Broad beans are sometimes referred to as fava beans. Not just tasty, they're packed with protein and vitamin A.

They're well known for their vigorous growth, making them as popular for allotments as for our farmers! British fields see bountiful crops throughout spring and summer. We also welcome a crop from our French and Spanish grower friends ahead of the UK season, for a temptingly early taste of spring.

Country of origin

Produced in

The UK

UK Seasonality

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

The smell of them makes my heart skip a beat

- Guy Singh-Watson

How to prepare

To get to the beans, split open the pod with your nail, as you would to pod peas. The smallest, youngest beans definitely need only the outer pod removing before cooking. You could ‘double-pod’ larger ones. After boiling, refresh in cold water, then pinch off the skins to reveal the bright green beans inside. It isn’t essential, but if you haven’t eaten broad beans like this before, they will be a revelation. If you’re wondering what to do with broad bean pods, you can compost them, or if they’re tender, boil and purée them.

For 250g podded broad beans, you will need around 750g whole beans. Mixed with other ingredients, such as in a pasta or rice dish, 200-300g podded beans should be enough for two to four people.

Storage

Broad beans keep well in their pods in the salad drawer at the bottom of the fridge. They should stay fresh for a week, even if the pods wilt a little.