Can you tell us a bit about Bold Bean and how it came to be? 
Years of working in the food sustainability space exposed me to many of the problems facing our food system, including soil health, food security and climate change. I realised that beans, with their millions of varieties and soil rejuvenating properties, were the answer to so many issues and decided to do something about it. Going back to the moment where my bean perception changed forever (my Erasmus exchange in Madrid where I first tasted an heirloom bean), I decided to bring these to the UK and launch a brand "on a mission to make you obsessed with beans, by giving you the best of beans".

Do you have a favourite bean?
It has to be our Queen Butter Beans - the bean that first converted me and now so many. It’s got a thin skin but a deliciously creamy centre that almost melts in the mouth!

What are you and your team enjoying cooking at the moment?
We’ve just launched two new beans, and I think we’re all falling quite in love with the Queen Red Beans in particular. We’re all loving them in rich ragus as they offer a meatiness we haven’t quite had before with our other beans. Simmered in a pot with red wine, bay and portobello mushrooms, they make this sensational sauce that we love on tagliatelle.

You and the Bold Bean team enjoy using Falcon in and around the kitchen. Do you have a favourite product and what would you usually cook in it?
I adore the lightness that Falcon’s products have - it means that you can quickly move items from one surface to another and what’s even better is that they clean so well in the dishwasher! With that in mind, it has to be the prep bowls for me. The white enamel makes whatever you have within it pop and be appreciated.

Can you tell us more about how your beans are sourced?
We source our beans for flavour, so we buy from the best possible climates to produce certain bean varieties. Our Queen Butter Beans for example are grown in the lush pastures along the Dunajec river valley of Poland, where their variety (Piękny Jas Tyczny) hails from. We select them for their thinner skins and meltingly creamy centres that you don’t find in a conventional butter bean.

What does Spring/Summer hold for you?
On a personal level, quite a lot as I’m getting married! But for beans and Bold Bean Co, we’re going to be ramping up our recipe content and moving more into events and experiences where people can taste the beans, and so, change their mind on them!

https://boldbeanco.com

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PARSNIPS

1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tbsp runny honey
1 kg parsnips, scrubbed, trimmed and halved widthways
1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tbsp each tarragon or white wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small bunch of tarragon (about 10g), finely chopped
1 tsp of dijon mustard
2 tablespoon of capers, drained
1 tsp honey
1 shallot, finely chopped

FOR THE SALAD BASE

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Co Queen Black Beans (or 2 x 400g tins of black beans), drained and rinsed
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
First do the parsnips. Mix the orange juice and zest with the honey and add a good pinch of salt and pepper and the olive oil. Mix well. Tip the parsnips into a large roasting tin. Pour over the honey and orange marinade. Turn the veg to coat them in the marinade, then spread them out in an even layer.
Roast the parsnips for 20 mins, then take them out of the oven and turn the veg over with a spoon, spooning the tin juices over the veg. Return to the oven and roast for another 15-20 mins till the parsnips are tender when pressed with a fork and a little charred.
While you’re waiting for the parsnips to be cooked, mix all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix with the black beans. Spread the black beans out on a big wide plate. Scatter the shaved fennel and top with the parsnips and toasted pine nuts. Toss and serve immediately.