Our news

Here at Easy Bean we have several women playing important roles producing our range of delicious snack foods.

So we’ve been celebrating International Women’s day just like many others around the world!

It’s way of honouring the contribution women make in many fields from the arts to science, sports and business which often goes unnoticed. Not forgetting, of course those who ensure the success of future generations by raising children.

We like to think our founder, Christina Baskerville, is something of a role model. She grew up on a farm later worked in tropical agriculture before going on to make a success of Easy Bean – showing what a perseverance can achieve.

International Women’s Day started at the beginning of the 20th century and is now recognised in many countries. The mimosa is often used as its symbol.

So happy Women’s Day from Christina and the rest of us at Easy Bean!

The daffodils are beginning to bloom, just in time to celebrate St David’s Day.

It’s the first occasion in the year when we Britons celebrate one of our patron saints and marks the date of St David’s supposed death in the sixth century.

The patron saint of Wales - Dewi Sant in Welsh - was born on the south-west coast of Wales, near where the city of St Davids is today.

Easy Bean HQ isn’t too far from the bridge which crosses the Bristol Channel to Wales – and we wish our Welsh friends a happy day.

Legend has it that St David and his monks ploughed fields by hand and only ate leeks and drank water.

Mind you, that was before Easy Bean came along - perhaps he would have been tempted by something from our range!

This week’s supermoon - the biggest and brightest full moon of the year - has reminded us of the beauty of nature even in the wee small hours.
But its wonder of nature may have been lost on some of our ancestors, who were too busy staying alive at this time of year to spend much time wistfully gazing into the night sky. February’s full moon is called the hunger moon as it marks the time of year that food could run out while, at the same time, bad weather made could make finding fresh supplies difficult. Add to that the cold and you had a battle for survival on your hands.
A supermoon happens when the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than other times. We have already had a January supermoon and we can look forward to another in March! Amateur stargazers can also get a good look at Mars and Uranus in the night sky and, luckily, we don’t face the same fight for survival as our ancestors so it’s easy enough to head indoors and pop a warming Easy Bean meal in the microwave!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Enjoy music -  and dancing - and love - and romance.
Then, when you fancy a snack, our quick office poll suggests that our Chickpea Crispbread crackers, Seeds & Black Pepper, is the romantic choice for lunch or an early evening meal.
Simply add slivers of salmon, a dollop of sour cream and a sparkling of chopped chives.
That is love. And actually, colleagues at work or friends should be able to share the joy as well so don’t hold back. Take some crispbreads into work if you like.

Beat the February blues by enjoying a vegetarian feast using Easy Bean meals - delicious one-pot bean-based meals which can be eaten on their own or mixed with other ingredients to make a delicious spread.

Easy Bean pots are based on classic dishes from around the world and are now more available than ever in stores across the UK.

And, as February’s weather chills the bones, our bean maestro Christina Baskerville offers the perfect antidote. She says: “My meals are delicious, filling and warming. They are the perfect ingredient for a night in with friends or family.”

Here are a few suggestions:

New Mexican Chilli: Red beans with sweet peppers, tomatoes and spiked with the jalapeño chilli.

Serve in tortillas with sour cream and avocado.

Moroccan Tagine: Pictured above. Slow-cooked chickpeas, Mediterranean vegetables, apricots and spices.

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

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

Add rice, chutney and coriander leaves for a feast

Christina adds: “Customers like the authenticity of our products - Easy Bean is the creator of the concept of one pot meals, each recipe is hand prepared, then cooked in small batches in our own kitchen offering the best health credentials of any meal pot.”

This Sunday, February 3, is Feed the Birds Day, a reminder that our feathered friends could do with  little help at this time of the year - and particularly at the moment - when it is generally cold, damp and possibly even snowy.

It also the time when food is scarce, frozen on the ground or hidden under the snow. So get out your bird feeder and give them a boost. Easy Beaners love all things seeds and nuts and so do birds.

Also – it will give you a chance to get into birdwatching, a really lovely and rewarding hobby.

Once you have made an effort to put out a little something, get into the habit until spring comes. Seeds are the best food for birds at this time of year, as they offer a high energy food source. Breads don’t offer nearly as much energy, but will do in a pinch.

And when you’ve done it, tweet about it!

It’s that time of the year – when it can be hard to keep well and it seems every other person has a bad cold or worse.

If you do go down with a cold or cough then a duvet day may be in order, if it’s flu then you should definitely take it easy.

Antibiotics won’t help with flu and generally you will get better with a few days at home (as long as you are otherwise healthy) but you can help yourself feel better by:

- Resting
- Keeping warm
- Drinking plenty of water (to avoid dehydration)
- Taking a remedy to lower a high temperature and relieve aches and pains

Nutrition is also important so make sure you eat well. If you can’t face cooking, understandable of course, then head for the microwave and warm up an Easy Bean meal or two…

More good news - our new crackers are on the shelves in Harvey Nichols Food Markets – Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol!

Absolutely Fabulous!

More good news this week - our new cracker range is on price promotion with Queenswood Natural Foods AND features on the front cover of their promotion booklet as well as Pages 3 and a nice feature on page 11 on ‘How it all began” – thank you Queenswood Natural Foods.

http://www.queenswoodfoods.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/QW-January-Promotions-2019-WEB-VERSION.pdf

So excited - we will be exhibiting at the Source Trade Show in Exeter next month - joining our wholesaler Queenswood Natural Foods on its stand - C4. Traders, come and say hello, we have a wonderful story and wonderful products to show you.

The Source Trade Show (www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk ) is a great mix of producers, hospitality and catering companies and food service businesses. As the organisers say, ‘Inspiration and opportunity on a plate.’.

We can’t wait. Wish us luck.