Peas and beans have never been my favourite vegetables - that particular accolade goes to braised red cabbage, followed closely by honey roasted parsnips.
But they have certainly gone up in my estimation following what amounted to three hours of "hard sell" at the PGRO (Processors and Growers Research Organisation) in Cambridgeshire last Friday (29 Jan).
Speaker after speaker sung the praises of peas and beans, making the attendees wonder what the world would be like without them.
PGRO chief executive Salvador Potter described them as the "ultimate break crop", fixing nitrogen and clearing up weeds and other pests.
Nutritionist Judith Buttress explained how pulses counted towards the "five-a-day" target and were especially good at providing fibre and iron...
UK agriculture was the best performer in the European league table of farm incomes in 2009. EU farm income figures from Brussels show that the UK is just one of four member states to have seen an increase in farm income in 2009 - thanks in large part to the weakness of sterling. Provisional figures put us up 14%, compared with a 35% decline for Hungary, 25% decline for Italy and 20% declines for France and Germany. DEFRA predicts an 8% fall in UK farm income in 2010, but it will still top £4bn - the second best result in a decade...
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