Pulses
Pulses, such as dry broad beans, dry peas, chickpeas, lentils, and dry common beans, are both delicious and versatile. They enhance any dish with their rich flavours and depth and are not only a treat for our taste buds but also great for our bodies and the planet.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Pulses are affordable, nutritious and delicious
Beans and pulses are a great way to reduce meat content of dishes and save money
If you love bread, then you need to eat more pulses. Find out more on the Cereals page
Support our farmers and source organic UK grown pulses first. Hodmedods are a fantastic option
Sign up to show your commitment to more #beansonthemenu
Why else should we use pulses?
Did you know there is a global coalition of partners (we have joined!) uniting to double global bean consumption by getting more #BeansOnTheMenu? Visit Beans is How to learn more about the brilliance of beans, peas, lentils and other pulses. Over to them:
-
Pulses help safeguard the environment and ecosystems for future generations. Pulse crops work together with soil microbes to “fix” nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil and reducing the need for unsustainable synthetic fertilisers. Pulse production results in much less greenhousegasemissions and requires lesswater than other protein sources and their long shelf-life helps prevent food waste.
-
Part of your 5 a day, 120g cooked (half a large can of beans) provides around a third of the UK Government’s 30g of daily recommended fibre. Pulses are also packed with plant-based protein, and essential nutrients like iron, folate and potassium. They have no cholesterol and are very low in fat. Regular consumption can improve digestive health and enhance overall health. Pulses are also economically accessible, which contributes to improved food and nutrition security.
-
Opting for pulses from UK farmers can help ensure transparency and an ethical supply chain. Supporting UK farmers by purchasing their pulses also indirectly supports cereal producers. This is because pretty much all wheat in the UK uses legumes to add nitrogen in their crop rotation, saving farmers money on synthetic fertilisers. While the variety of UK-grown pulses is limited at scale, it’s not a limitation when you consider the delicious dishes you can create with them. Check some out below!
Prioritising organic UK pulse suppliers is a great place to start, especially given that many UK farmers send their field beans either to animal feed or to markets in the Middle East! However, the priority now - both for climate and for public health - is to increase our pulse consumption. Diverse pulse crops such as chickpeas, lentils and common beans are grown only in small amounts in the UK, this means for the time being, we need to continue sourcing from abroad. This is especially the case when sourcing the right beans for specific cuisines. When you do choose to source from abroad, try to support organic cooperatives based in the EU. If more of these novel crops are bought from specialist UK grower by kitchens, then this supports scale up in local production.
Use these 6 pulses to help support UK farmers!
These pulses can be grown at scale in the UK, but there are also many exciting heirlooms, like dry common bean varieties maintained by Garden Organic Heritage Seed Library, that can be cultivated by small-scale UK producers. If you have a close relationship with a farmer or community growers, consider asking them to grow some of these unique and delicious varieties. Some local zerowaste bulk suppliers may also have links with local farms to supply novel grains and pulses.
Exciting work is being done at the University of Warwick on breeding more pulse varieties suitable for large-scale production in the UK. We will keep you updated on their progress with Nurtural Food! If you are in the Midlands you might be in luck getting hold of new dry bean varieties from Zero.
Note: We link directly to Hodmedods' website without any affiliations as they’re currently the only supplier providing UK-grown and processed pulses. However, a single wholesaler supplying the whole UK is not a long-term fix, so we hope that increasing demand for UK pulses will mean we are able to update this page with more diverse local suppliers in the near future.
