Inspired by her travels in Argentina, Eden's empanadas have a rich flaky YQ wheat flour pastry and a deliciously savoury carlin pea, potato and olive filling.
Introduced by the Spanish during occupation and colonisation, fava beans have been used in Mexico for hundreds of years. There are many variations of this simple soup, made and eaten primarily during Lent. Most use chicken stock, but Eden packs in plenty of rich and savoury notes into the dish while keeping it vegetarian.
Give carlin peas the petits pois treatment: braising with butter, onion, white wine, lettuce and mint. The hearty nuttiness of the carlin peas makes for a more substantial dish than traditional fresh green peas. Serve with boiled Jersey Royals or other new potatoes to soak up the buttery sauce.
Loaded with fresh veg’ alongside the wonderfully nourishing broth mix of dried peas, favas, lentils and oats; this dish manages to feel simultaneously light and hearty, quite a feat. It’s a great way of emptying the veg’ basket or visiting your local greengrocer and buying one of almost everything.
Here we have another recipe for James Taylor's school meals. James works in two London primary schools, improving their school meals to provide nutritious, delicious and environmentally sustainable meals for their children. We started working with James in 2023 to help him get pulses on the menu in his school. James describes the challenges of introducing young people to pulses when they are unfamiliar with them in their diets. However, James has shared with us a few of his recipes for success.
These pea, parsnip and potato cakes from The Cook and Him are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Marrowfat peas are best known as the traditional pea for making mushy peas though they're also fantastic in soups, dips and casseroles.
Apple shreds make an excellent addition to a salad or Buddha bowl, their vibrant colour and sweet taste balancing well with savoury elements. Julie, of Apple Natural, made this a beautiful bowl for our visit on a very hot summer's day. We combined elements from our gardens with Julie's apple shreds and locally sourced vegetables.
Abra Berens’ raw courgette salad with crispy chickpeas is perfect for any summer or early autumn feast, pairing well with grilled meat or seasonal vegetables. It’s one of many inspiring recipes in Abra’s brilliant book Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes.
Chef James Taylor's Lentil & Chickpea Lasagne is a perfect meal to introduce children to pulses. Lasagne is a popular and comforting dish that most children are familiar with, encouraging them to eat pulses they may not have tried before.
Chef James Taylor is on a mission to get pulses into school meals, using Hodmedod's beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas all this term as part of special Pulses Days in primary schools. Here's his recipe for baked "beans" made with pink and yellow peas from British farms instead of the usual navy beans (mostly from the US and Canada).
