I’ve always considered runner beans to be a darling of British summer vegetables, but I understand why they’ve fallen a little out of favour in more recent years. For sure, one of their disadvantages is that they do require more work compared to their other bean counterparts; not only do you have to top and tail them but you also have to peel off the stringy sides. They may be a bit of a palaver, but their flavour is different to other beans – sweeter and more delicate – and they have a beautiful pale green colour. I think the other reason they are overlooked is because there has often been a lack of creativity around runner beans, usually just served buttered as a side dish.
In the following recipes, I have used runner beans in quite different ways to show their potential. I think, when embarking on cooking with runner beans, you have to accept that there is some slightly mundane labour required in its preparation. My advice is to decide to enjoy it – this is often my tactic with time-consuming and tedious kitchen jobs. Decide that this is actually a therapeutic job; find a sunny spot outside if you can, put on some soothing music and try not to peel off a fingernail whilst losing yourself in the rhythmic action!
