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All hail the sunshine vitamin! And we hope everybody is getting plenty of it at the moment.

Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body nutrients which are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. On the other hand, a lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities and bone pain caused by a condition.

The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight and that will certainly be the case now.

Once it gets to October start eating oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and fresh tuna, red meat, egg yolks and fortified foods to keep on top of this wonder vitamin.

*puts pen down and steps outside into glorious day….*

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday – so treat Dad to breakfast in bed and an Easy Bean meal for lunch. That way the family can spend time together and no-one has to slave over a hot stove.

And you’ll be fitting in with the modern trend for more interesting meals. Gone are the days of meat and two veg every day as men look for more exciting tastes and wholesome alternatives to meat.

Our meals are wholesome, delicious and wonderfully authentic. Packed full of pulses and chunky veg, each 320g pot provides 2 to 3 of your five-a-day. They are naturally low in fat and salt and high in fibre.

Christina Baskerville, our MD, says: “Easy Bean meals are quick and simple – and yet they help you to eat well and are very filling. Packed full of goodness and as a slow release source of carbohydrate they certainly offer man-sized portions. They taste delicious on their own or combine them with rice, a baked potato or some crusty bread.”

Christina offers these five manly reasons to eat beans and pulses.

1. They have more protein than any other vegetable ingredient

2. They are high in fibre, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre helps to lower cholesterol. Insoluble fibre improves digestive health

3. They are complex carbohydrates with a low Gi index. This means they take longer to digest, leaving you feeling fuller for longer

4. They are low in fat

5. They are a good source of energy-boosting iron.

Diabetes Week, run by the charity Diabetes UK, takes place in June every year and is coming up next week (June 11-18). It’s a time when people share their stories and raise awareness of diabetes.

Talking about diabetes can be tricky, awkward, difficult, funny, and everything in between. From telling someone you’ve just met about your diabetes, to trying to explain carb counting to relatives or avoiding that conversation with your doctor.

The theme of Diabetes Week this year “tricky conversations” - and how to make it easier to have such conversations, with your doctor, your friends and family, and people you’ve just met.

Join the conversation on social media. Use the hashtags #diabetesweek #talkaboutdiabetes

It’s time to think global, eat local! Here are our Queen of Beans, Christina’s ‘round the world with beans’ meal suggestions:

New Mexican Chilli: This includes Fairtrade red beans with sweet peppers, tomatoes, spiked with the 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 in the evening 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, chutney and fresh leaves for a feast.

French Cuisinées: Green lentil and sweet chestnut simmered with classic vegetables, rosemary and thyme.

Serve with a creamy root mash – potato and parsnip would be ideal.

We seem to be looking ahead to  second lovely Bank Holiday Weekend! There is even talk of BBQs!  Here are three top tips for outdoor chefs.

1.      Steaks are probably one of the top foods to throw on the BBQ! And if you don’t coat the meat in sugary sauces or throw on too much butter/oil, then barbecuing is one of the more healthy ways to cook red meat. Unfortunately, cooking red meat on sizzling hot open flames creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds linked with some cancers. A recent study showed that marinating your meat in wine for two hours reduces potentially dangerous hydrocarbons as the antioxidants in the marinade block their formation. Rubbing rosemary onto the meat has a similar effect - and gives a lovely flavour. Even better, grill the meat for longer and at a lower temperature.

2. Know your onions. No vegetable changes more than the onion when it hits the grill. Suddenly the pungent flavour becomes sweet and rich. Onions are also packed with some pretty amazing health benefits. They are loaded with polyphenols and flavonoids - antioxidant compounds that help to fight against several diseases including cancer and heart disease. Pile them on.

3. Choose aubergines. They are one of the healthiest foods around. An excellent source of fibre, studies have found that eggplant can help reduce the risk of colon cancer. And the vast amounts of fibre found in the vegetable helps weight loss – be beach body ready!

Enjoy the long weekend everybody.

Chinese Dragon Boats on the lake, archery, music and dance  -  it’s all there at this year’s annual Sherborne Castle Country Fair and Rare Breeds Show which will take place on the next Bank Holiday (May 28).
The Food Hall will be offering local gourmet delights for every taste from a range of artisan food producers - including Easy Bean! There will be cookery demonstrations throughout the day by a line-up of local chefs and stalls with tasty locally-produced food from Dorset Farmers’ Market producers.
Sherborne is a lovely little market town in north west Dorset on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, just a stone’s throw from Easy Bean’s headquarters in next-door Somerset. It’s easy to get to - six miles east of Yeovil on the A30 or by rail on the main London-Exeter line. So if you can make it, drop in and say “Hi!” and treat yourself to delicious Easy Bean products!
* Sherborne Castle Country Fair and Rare Breeds Show, 28 May - Bank Holiday Monday - 10am-6pm. www.sherbornecountryfair.com

Many people are firm believers in the health benefits of a vegan diet  - and a recently published study is adding fuel to the plant-based fire by reporting that vegan protein is healthier than meat for the heart.

Researchers in America and France found that people who consumed significant amounts of meat had an increased risk of heart disease while the opposite was true for those who consumed the majority of their protein from plant-based sources, such as nuts and seeds.

After collecting data from more than 81,000 people, the researchers concluded that, on average, those who ate more meat experienced a 60 per cent increase in risk for heart disease whereas those who ate mostly vegan protein benefited from a 40 per cent reduced risk.

You can read the study here https://academic.oup.com/ije/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ije/dyy030/4924399?redirectedFrom=fulltext

While munching on our delicious and vegan Edamame Bean Curry we hope! A delicious edamame beans and broccoli Thai curry simmered in a creamy yellow sauce….

We truly believe that our products taste delicious - and when we get out and about ourselves we are delighted to find that people agree with us!

This spring and summer we will have stalls at several fairs and festivals and we are looking forward to meeting you. As well as shoppers we’d love to chat with small business owners, perhaps deli or cafe bosses, who are looking for new lines.

Come and say hello,  here’s where we will be over the next few months - http://www.easybean.co.uk/festivals-and-fairs.html