Our news

Three cheers for a British supplier which provides an essential ingredients for several of our tastiest products.

Suffolk-based Hodmedod supply pea flour, which adds protein and a delicious flavour to tour Fava Bean & Poppy Seed, Green Pea & Chia Seed and Red Lentil & Poppy Seed crackers.

The company gathers various beans and pulses from farmers throughout East Anglia and mills them into flour before sending them onwards to our factory in the Somerset countryside.

What’s a hodmedod? It’s a local word for something round or curled up, so it can mean a snail, a hedgehog - or beans and peas. Hodmedod says: “We chose the word for the name of our business simply because we like the sound of it, and feel that it reflects our East Anglian backgrounds and represents part of our forgotten heritage.”

We’re so pleased with our links to this great company.

The fabulous Vegan Larder in Bethnal Green is including our crackers in its two of its Christmas boxes the Gourmet box and a special pate box - both sound fantastic!

The Vegan Larder uses products which are completely vegan & palm oil free (with a gluten-free option). It also focuses on independent and ethical suppliers. This makes each box an exciting discovery to open.

The Pate Box combines three flavours of the most delicious pate from Patifu with crackers from Yours Truly and a delicious chutney.  The Christmas Gourmet Box features products from @anandafoods @nutcessity @fruitsoftheforage @friarschocolate Hej Gro and Patifu - and us!

Buy online from www.theveganlarder.com and also check them out on Insta and Twitter, @vegan_larder

And thanks guys, great to be working with you.

Thanksgiving Day is coming up (November 22) and is a national holiday in the US.

Bit of history - in 1621, Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which was the start of the Thanksgiving tradition, although it wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Turkey is the centrepiece of Thanksgiving celebrations - but bean side dishes are also a must. Green Bean casserole or fried green beans for example. Many Americans pass down favourite recipes through the generations.

No matter what the celebration - beans somehow manage to make an appearance! Go beans.

It’s been a bumper couple of week for us as three more shops have decided to stock our delicious Easy Bean products.

The Natural Grocery Store in Cheltenham has signed up to sell our crackers and crispbreads ranging from the Cheddar Crunch Chickpea Crispbread made with cheese from Ford Farm in Dorset through to the Moroccan spice variety made with hummus and roasted red pepper.

Nearby in the delightful village of Ludwell just a stone’s throw from picturesque Shaftsbury, the Post Office Stores, recently voted Village Shop of the Year, has also stocked up with Easy Bean crackers to tempt local residents.

And in busy London, Earth Natural Foods in fashionable Kentish Town is living up to its name with our range of healthy and nutritious products.

The word is spreading about Easy Bean - if you are a shop wanting to give your customers access to our one-pot ready meals, crackers and crispbreads, just get in touch through our website at trade.enquiry@easybean.co.uk

The skies will be lit up this weekend as we head towards Bonfire Night - and our Easy Bean meal pots are just perfect for quick meals that still taste great. Try these three for size:

New Mexican Chilli: This includes red beans with sweet peppers, tomatoes, spiked with jalapeño chilli.

Serve in tortillas with a dollop of sour cream and avocado slices.

Moroccan Tagine: A hotpot of slow-cooked chickpeas, Mediterranean vegetables, apricots and aromatic spices.

A tasty treat served on couscous and topped with toasted flaked almonds and a spring of mint.

Indian Sambar: Toor Dhal peas are simmered slowly with coconut and tamarind juice finished with chunky vegetables and mustard seeds.

Add rice, coconut chutney and fresh coriander for a feast

Have you ever wondered what food would be like with no meat, fish or dairy products? Well you can find out at VegFestUK in London where you will find every variety of vegan fare, take part in discussions and see expert cookery demonstrations.
There will be films, music and guests at the two-day event at the Olympia exhibition centre - and even a comedy stage. (Q What did Cher say to the vegan? Answer below.)
Of course, Easy Bean will be there with some of our vegan-friendly products which are not only ideal for the health conscious but also extremely tasty.
It promises to be a lot of fun so drop by and say hello to the Easy Beaners.
(A: ‘I Got Tofu Babe’).
VegFestUK London 2018, 27/ 28 October, Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX.
www.london.vegfest.co.uk

We’re really enjoying the Invictus Games - both the sports and the glimpses of Australia. But - no time to cook! Good news, Easy Bean’s pots, based on authentic recipes from around the world, can help.

Having won many gold medals of their own - Great Taste Awards - there’s no better way to enjoy top class cuisine as you celebrate sporting achievements.

Choose New Mexican Chilli, Moroccan Tagine, Indian Sambar Dhal or African Palava as the nights draw in. According to Food Magazine they are “as close to homemade as you’ll get in a tub.”

The pots are microwaveable and freezable. They are packed full of pulses and chunky veg and each 320g pot provides two to three of your five-a-day. For example, the Moroccan Tagine pot contains 211 kcal and 8g of fat per 320g and is a delicious mix of chickpeas, aubergine and butternut squash infused with aromatic spices. New Mexican Chilli - red beans with sweet pepper in a richly spiced tomato and jalapeno chilli sauce - contains 214 kcal and 5.8g of fat per 320g. So you can feel as healthy as the leading light of your favourite sport.

Game on!

Fava beans are a super-nutritious kind of legume packed with proteins, minerals and vitamins ­- and super-tasty too! They sound very smart and it is true you are likely to find a little dish of them at your favourite hipster bar.

We use Fava Bean flour in our Fava Bean & Poppy Seed Cracker. The fava bean originated in the Mediterranean region or southwestern Asia along with other favourites of ours such as lentils and chickpeas.

So do yourself a fava and try an Easy Bean cracker with the marvellous vici a faba taste!

We’ll be making our debut at a premier local food festival next weekend when the Easy Bean crew roll up at the historic city of Wells, not far from our headquarters in deepest Somerset. It’s a celebration of all that’s best in the county’s food and drink so we’ll be in good company.

The Wells Food Festival will have over 175 stalls in the Market Place and the Town Hall, along the Moat and in the Recreation Ground and at the Bishop’s Palace which is where you will find the Easy Bean stall.

So come along and say ‘hi’ to the Easy Beaners and sample some of our range!

The Discovery Zone will feature demonstrations about the food we eat and its impact on farming practices, the landscape and the environment, and you can meet the animals at the Farm Yard, take part in a debate on local food and even join a foodie pub quiz.

Wells Food Festival, Sunday, 14 October, 10.30am - 4.30pm.  www.wellsfoodfestival.co.uk

For many in the UK, baked beans are the only bean we consume regularly but, with the help of her range of meal pots, our Queen of beans, Christina, wants to teach us to love the full range of beans, peas and lentils which are central and essential to the cuisines of many countries across the world.

The Easy Bean range are the original one-pot hot meals and began what is now roughly estimated as a £40m category. “My products win the taste test against competitors every time,” says Christina.

The meals are easy to prepare, microwavable or heated in a pan, having been slowly cooked in one pot, in small batches. 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 five-a-day