Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on broad beans:

The top few centimetres of growth on the main stems of your broad beans need to be pinched out anyway when their flowers are just starting to wilt, to stop the plant growing any taller and help it pod up. These “pinchings” have a lovely leguminous flavour – delicious as a side veg just lightly steamed and tossed in butter, and perfect in an omelette or tart. But you can also grow bean shoots “to order”, harvesting when a few inches high.

I’m growing broad beans at the moment in the filing cabinet planter that we upcycled. No actual beans as yet and I finally got round to tying them up so they stand nice and tall. So I thought, what they hell, might as well eat some pinchings. What’s good enough for Hugh is good enough for us!

It’s kinda funny how the landlord leaves a bit of long grass around the planter, so that you can’t see the faces of the painted rabbits, only their ears.

Brussels sprouts, cauli flower and purple potatoes also growing in this planter.

Some broad bean shoots.

Broad bean shoots picked and awaiting cooking.

I sauteed some red cabbage with some chopped streaky bacon and towards the end of cooking, added butter and the freshly picked broad bean shoots. Pan fried some fish coated in breadcrumbs and herb with a dollop of mayo and capers, served with mashed potato.