Beans, Legumes + Pulses

Black turtle beans are a staple in Latin American and Mexican cooking. These beans have all the goodness, packed full of protein, fibre, zinc and copper, as well as being one of the top beans for antioxidants. 

They're commonly used in chillis, as a filling for wraps or blended to a refried bean paste for nachos or quesadillas.

They're the awesomely unexpected rich and creamy gluten-free filler for brownies. So just for you, we've linked in a tried, tested and much-loved recipe from the Minimalist Baker for Vegan and gluten-free black bean brownies.

Ingredients: Black Turtle Beans (100%)

How to prepare: Soak the beans for 8-10 hours, or overnight. Soak for no longer than 12 hours as this can decrease nutritional value and flavour. Cook for around an hour or until soft. Beans will cook more quickly and be easier to digest if they are soaked first.

Quick-soaking tip: Put the beans in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the water and cook the beans as per your recipe.

Please note: Undercooked beans can cause intestinal distress so make sure that the beans are all the way cooked before you serve them

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are practically a staple ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. They are the basis for foods like hummus and falafal and, while it is convenient to use canned chickpeas, dried chickpeas really are a better option.

Dried chickpeas are much more economical and they tend to have a more natural flavor because they aren't soaked in preservatives. Also, any extra beans can be frozen to be used at a later time. 

As a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, chickpeas may offer a variety of health benefits, such as aiding weight management, improving digestion, and reducing your risk of disease by supporting your immune system.

Hummus tip #1: To make it super creamy - add in a couple of icecubes into the blender when blending your hummus. We know you won't believe us until you try for yourselves, but this has been tested, tried and has never failed! 

Hummus tip #2: Roast the garlic bulbs beforehand, extracting those sweet garlic flavours - much less pungent and more flavoursome than if the garlic goes in raw .

How to prepare: Soak for 8-10 hours, or overnight. Soak for no longer than 12 hours as this can decrease nutritional value and flavour. Cook for around an hour or until soft. Chickpeas will cook more quickly and be easier to digest if they are soaked first.

Quick-soaking tip: Put the chickpeas in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the water and cook the chickpeas as per your recipe.

Please note: Undercooked chickpeas can cause intestinal distress so make sure that they are all the way cooked before you serve them

Green Lentils can be pale or mottled green-brown in color with a glossy exterior. They have a robust texture, somewhat nutty flavor. Green lentils generally take the longest to cook, around 45 minutes.

High in protein, iron, fibre, magnesium and polyphenols. They also are a great source of folic acid. 

Ideal for salads, curries, soups and other side dishes, and are very popular in European cooking.

What many people don't know is that these lentils make great homemade sprouts (similar to bean sprouts) always ready to eat as a very healthy and tasty snack, or as a crunchy topping to salads. Easy-to-grow and soil-free. 

Ingredients: Dried Green Lentils (100%)

Best-selling author and professional chef Claire Thomson offers up her best 70 recipes with pulses as star of the show, revealing just how simple it is to create delicious one-pan meals that all of the family will love. Beans, chickpeas and lentils are so versatile – you can roast, bake, fry, stew them, or make salads, soups, dips and snacks from them and reap the rewards of their nutritious goodness.

They are full to bursting with protein and fibre, iron, potassium and folate and are loved the world over. Drawing inspiration from across the globe, Claire showcases recipes that will inspire you to choose pulses as your budget-friendly midweek go-to ingredient.

From Turkish Lentil Tomato Soup and Pasta e Fagioli to Pork Belly with Butter Beans and Sage, One Pan Beans is a practical and dynamic source of kitchen inspiration.

The most flavourful lentil, packed full of protein. Try a braised lentil recipe, or add them to stews, casseroles and pies. Lentils are extremley versitile! 

Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are large creamy-coloured beans with a slightly floury texture when cooked.

Great in a vegetarian pâté and work well in bean salads or rich and wintry stews.

Need some recipe ideas?

Try this awesome butter bean mash from Yotam Ottolenghi, which he pairs with Muhumamara, a Levantine dip made from red peppers and walnuts. We've also tried using this mash with vegan sausages, as a nuttery and flavourful alternative to the classic 'bangers and mash.'

Also try using butter beans in your dips as an alternative to chickpeas. We reccomend this super creamy butter bean hummus. Or this strikingly bright beetroot and butterbean dip to impress your mates. Both are super creamy and awesomely delicious! 

Ingredients: Butter Beans (100%)

How to prepare: Soak the beans for 8-10 hours, or overnight. Soak for no longer than 12 hours as this can decrease nutritional value and flavour. Cook for around an hour or until soft. Beans will cook more quickly and be easier to digest if they are soaked first.

Quick-soaking tip: Put the beans in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the water and cook the beans as per your recipe.

Please note: Undercooked beans can cause intestinal distress so make sure that the beans are all the way cooked before you serve them

Haricot beans, also known as navy beans, are small, oval, plump and creamy-white with a mild flavour and smooth, buttery texture.

They absorb other aromas and flavours easily, which makes them popular beans to use in bean salads, vegetable soups, slow-cooked dishes such as cassoulet or bean purées.

These beans are rich in protein, folate, iron, thiamin, and magnesium, so they are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

Alternatives to haricot beans include butter beans, or cannellini beans.

Ingredients: 100% Haricot beans

How to prepare: Soak the beans for 8-10 hours, or overnight. Soak for no longer than 12 hours as this can decrease nutritional value and flavour. Cook for around an hour or until soft. Beans will cook more quickly and be easier to digest if they are soaked first.

Quick-soaking tip: Put the beans in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the water and cook the beans as per your recipe.

Please note: Undercooked beans can cause intestinal distress so make sure that the beans are all the way cooked before you serve them

Mung Beans aka green/ golden gram, originating from India. Cooked, their creamy taste suits soups, casseroles and mixed grain dishes. Can also be ground into a flour.

Red kidney beans are native to the Americas, and come in many different shapes and sizes, the most commonly known being the deep red kidney beans.

IMPORTANT TO READ: Red kidney beans are poisonous if not boiled furiously during their initial cooking. The key is to NEVER cook them in the water in which they have been soaked, but drain and rinse them well before cooking them in fresh water. 

These beans are a great source of protein, fibre, folic acid, low sodium and high potassium, along with molybdenum (which your body uses in detoxification and development of the nervous system). 

How to prepare: Soak the beans overnight, then throw away the soaking water when the beans are plump and slighty softer, and the skins are no longer wrinkled. Rinse well. Cook in water without salt before adding to the desired recipe. 

Recipe suggestions:

Cajun-style red beans and rice from Emilie eats.

Or this delicious Vegetarian chilli recipe from Cookie + Kate. 

Red split lentils, also known as Egyptian lentil or Masoor dal, are cheap, nutritous, delicious and very easy to make - no soaking required. They are the easiest to cook out of the lentil family, and as they are split naturally into two halves, they cook very quickly.

Lentils are edible seeds of the legume family. These are high in fibre, folate, potassium, iron and B1, and a great source of plant-based protein, including essential amino acids. 

How to cook: Rinse lentils, put in a pan with water and bring to the boil. The easiest way to cook them is to check on them as you cook, and stop at your desired texture. For estimates, simmer for around 15 minutes into a thick purée, or 25 minutes will give you a mush. Use them for soups and spicy Indian dhals. 

Example recipes:

Try this Red lentil curry from Rainbow plant life or this Red lentil dahl from Bianca Zapatka.

Or fancy a warming and nutritous soup, try this feel-good red lentil soup from frommybowl.

Top tips for cooking lentils:

A squeeze of lemon juice can brighten their earthy flavourf adding acidic ingredients, but aciic ingredients such as this should be added after cooking.

Salt should be added at the end of cooking, not during. 

Do not cook lentils in aluminium or cast iron pans, as these metals can inhibit the cooking and affect the colour and/or taste of the lentils. 

Organic Kitchen White Wine Vinegar is unfiltered and still with the 'Mother' culture from the fermenting process. Our wine vinegar is perfect for adding tartness to sauces and salad dressings. 

250ml Glass bottle, Paper label, Black aluminium lid

Ingredients Organic White Wine (100%)

Serving Requirements If adding to salad dressings and sauces, add a splash to taste

UK-based, Organic Kitchen carefully sources only the finest ingredients, its organic ethos ensuring a tomorrow that is better for the planet, and better for you. In addition to striving for fewer pesticides, fewer additives and preservatives, and categorically saying no to GM ingredients, Organic Kitchen passionately believes in shopping local.

Puy lentils are cheap, nutritous, delicious and very easy to make - no soaking required. Lentils are edible seeds of the legume family. These are high in fibre, folate, potassium, iron and B1, and a great source of plant-based protein.

How to cook: Rinse lentils, put in a pan with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 mins/until just cooked. They should still have a bit of bite, therefore cooled al dente.

Try these delicious recipes:

A tried and tested Crushed puy lentils with tahini and cumin from Yotam Ottolenghi - delicious and easy to make. Or this warm roasted squash and puy lentil salad from BBC goodfood

Top tips for cooking lentils:

A squeeze of lemon juice can brighten their earthy flavourf adding acidic ingredients, but aciic ingredients such as this should be added after cooking.

Salt should be added at the end of cooking, not during. 

Do not cook lentils in aluminium or cast iron pans, as these metals can inhibit the cooking and affect the colour and/or taste of the lentils. 

On sale because it is past best before date, still good to eat and great in stews!

These Italian cream coloured beans are a natural source of protein and fibre, and their fluffy texture and a slight nutty flavour is great in soups and salads.

400g (240g drained weight)
Aluminium tin with paper label

Ingredients Cannellini beans*, Water. *Organic

Serving Requirements Ready to eat cold in salads or try adding to stews and soups.

Soak 8-12 hours, boil vigorously 1 hour. Cook 3-4 hours (50 mins in a pressure cooker) and simmer until soft. Used to make soya milk, tofu & tempeh. Storage: Cool, dry & hygienic; away from direct light & strong odours.

Contains: Soya

Warm up this vibrant organic lentil creation in minutes, either on the stovetop over medium heat with the occasional stir, or zap it in the microwave for just 3 minutes total (2 minutes full power, stir, then 1 more minute).

Made with nothing but real ingredients and zero artificial nonsense, this 400g tin delivers authentic Eastern spice without any fuss.

Certified organic, completely vegan-friendly, and bursting with flavour that actually tastes like food should. Pop any leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within two days of opening.

Enjoy the creamy richness of Borlotti Beans, a versatile staple perfect for Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Their hearty texture and delicate flavour make them ideal for adding depth to soups, stews, and fresh salads.

Perfect for elevating your culinary creations with wholesome, plant-based goodness.

These Italian cream coloured beans are a natural source of protein and fibre, and their fluffy texture and a slight nutty flavour is great in soups and salads.

400g (240g drained weight)
Aluminium tin with paper label

Ingredients Cannellini beans*, Water. *Organic

Serving Requirements Ready to eat cold in salads or try adding to stews and soups.

The King of beans in Japan! Adukis have a reddish brown bean with a cream coloured seam.