Our news

The veggie option is catching on fast as people realise all its benefits – and Easy Bean is right at the cutting edge with a range of delicious ready meals including several vegetarian options.

The pre-Christmas season is often a good time to mix delicious festive meals and celebrations with lighter meat-free choices in the week.

Take our New Mexican Chilli - made with red beans, sweet peppers and tomatoes and spiked with the fiery jalapeño chilli. This classic combination is known to aficionados in the state of New Mexico as a ‘Bowl o’ Red’.

Enjoy!

Did you know that the word gluten comes from the Latin word for glue!

Gluten is a group of proteins found in starch in cereals. Gluten is found in bread wheat and it is also found in spelt, barley, rye and oats.

Back to the glue. Gluten does have adhesive properties - it gives bread dough its elasticity, helping it rise, keep its shape and gives it a chewy texture. Bread produced from wheat grains contains gluten.

So far so good. But … gluten can trigger adverse inflamatory, immunoloigcal and autoimmune reactions in some people. Coeliac disease is an eample of gluten intolerance which must be carefully managed.

If you need, or would prefer, a gluten-free diet, then try our naturally gluten-free Chickpea Crispbreads!

The number of people who are obese in England has almost doubled in the last 20 years from 6.9 to 13 million, according to new analysis released from Diabetes UK.

The figures from the Health Survey for England (1997-2017) estimate that there are now 13 million people over the age of 16 with a BMI of 30 or above which classifies as obese, an increase of more than 6 million since 1997.

In England, 29% of adults and 20% of 10- to 11-year-olds are living with obesity and, although it’s not the only factor, obesity is the most significant risk factor for new cases of Type 2 diabetes, accounting for 80 to 85% of someone’s risk.

It’s the main driver behind the leap in Type 2 diabetes cases over the last 20 years. There are an estimated 2.85 million people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in England and more than 850,000 living with the condition who don’t know they have it because they haven’t been diagnosed − bringing the total number up to 3.7 million.

Obesity is contributing to the increase in gestational diabetes and the worrying rise in young people with Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is serious because it can lead to devastating and life-limiting complications. People with the condition are two and half times more likely to have a heart attack, and four times more likely to experience kidney failure than those without it.

More than half of all cases of Type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed and, in turn, the risk of developing the related complications, by tackling overweight and obesity.

A healthy diet can help. When you are busy or tired it’s easy to reach for unhealthy snacks and fast food. To combat this, keep one of our ready meals to hand – wholesome, filling and tasty!

Tonight’s the night we buy a box of fireworks for a family gathering or head to one of the many impressive public displays taking place around the country.
Bonfire Night, its origins as a celebration of Guy Fawkes’ failure to blow up Parliament in the 17th Century largely forgotten, is now a colourful social event for all to enjoy.
And what better than a nice warming drink – hot chocolate perhaps, or mulled wine – and a tasty snack to nibble on while watching the rockets, Roman candles and Catherine Wheels?
Here at Easy Bean our pick for tonight is the New Mexican Chilli one-pot meal, ideal for adding a bit of spice to the evening, or the African Palava, a delicious combination of brown beans, free range chicken, peanuts, sweet potatoes and spinach.
They’re bound to help Bonfire Night go off with a bang!

Ghosts and witches, spells and zombies - how we love the scary images of Halloween!

Nowadays it’s pure fun and a chance for the kids to go trick and treating to fill up bags of sweets given by kindly neighbours. But the event has its origins in prehistoric times as the day when spirits returned to earth and had to be assuaged with food and drink.

By the ninth century it had blended with Christianity and November 2 was designated All Souls’ Day, a time for honouring the dead.

Celebrations resembled the old Celtic commemorations of Samhain, complete with bonfires and masquerades, while poor people would visit the houses of wealthier families and receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives.

Nowadays, it’s a busy night for mums and dads – and the kindly neighbours who answer the door, So while the kids are out roaming the streets enjoy a time-saving but oh-so-tasty tasty Easy Bean one-pot meal. They’re magic!

We love our ready meal range - they are good for you and good for the planet!

Christina, our Queen of Beans, says: “Beans have more fibre than many wholegrains, are virtually fat free and are high in protein. In terms of saving the planet, pulses are one of the most sustainable, low greenhouse gas emission sources of protein in the world and they need less water and energy to thrive.

“The meals are easy to prepare, and can be microwaved or heated in a pan. Beans and vegetables are infused with herbs and spices, sometimes added to locally sourced meat, all cooked in rich stocks. They are high in fibre, low in fat and salt and also have the benefit of being gluten and dairy free; and furthermore they provide two to three of your 5-a-day.”

‘Nuff said!

We are looking forward to the Hestercombe Christmas Market in Taunton, Somerset - Friday, 15 November to Sunday, 17 November (9am - 5pm). Put it in your diaries and come and say hello!

We are thrilled and delighted with the Great Taste 2019 One Star Gold Award for our crackers - all three varieties!

Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink. It has been described as the “Oscars” of the food world. Quite simply the Great Taste logo is the sign you can trust when buying food and drink.

We will be at the Wells Food Festival in beautiful Somerset, on Sunday, 13 October - this coming weekend! - from 10.30am to 4.30pm, to join in the celebration of local food and drink. We hear that there will be more than 150 artisan producers and street food stalls.

There will be a mix of stalls in the Market Place, the Recreation Ground, along the Moat and on the Green, as well as in the Bishop’s Palace and the Town Hall. Something for everyone in other words. There will be lots of fun for families, with an even bigger Discovery Zone, The Bath & West Farm Yard and a Children’s Trail, complete with maps and clues.

Entry is free by the way! Hope to see you there.