French beans Grown by James Foskett at Woodbridge, Suffolk

£4.20 / 300g

About

Sweet, snappy, and elegant French beans. This versatile veg can either be fast food, or the basis of a leisurely feast. For a simple side, boil briefly, then toss the still-crunchy beans with a little sweated garlic and butter. Slow-cook to richness with tomatoes and onions – good for pasta sauce with added olives. Or steam your beans and throw them into a classic salad Niçoise. Bliss.

Country of origin

Produced in

The UK

UK Seasonality

The first flush comes from our growers in Spain, then our farm in the Vendée in June and home grown in August and September. They like to grow in hot and humid climates so can be a challenge to grow in the UK but we've got some expert growers in the South Devon Co-operative who supply them through the summer.

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Dress warm, cooked beans in a garlicky vinaigrette to celebrate the first arrivals of summer

- Riverford cooks

How to prepare

Top and tail them and blanch in boiling salted water for a few minutes. They need to have a squeak when you bite into them.

Most often we boil our beans briefly then dress them up with flavourings. Salad Niçoise is always a winner – add some or all of anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, new potatoes, tuna, lettuce, capers and olives. For something simpler, simply turn French beans in a pan of melted butter with a cloud of parmesan on top, or toss with crispy pancetta and shredded sage.

Storage

Keeps for up to a week in the bottom of the fridge.

Grown by James Foskett, Woodbridge, Suffolk

James Foskett farms a rainbow of ten different organic vegetables, including green beans and peas, tasty sweetcorn cobs, bunched carrots, onions and radishes.