This version of a traditional favourite comes from South Yeo Farm West in Devon. Rare breed farmers Debbie Kingsley and Andrew Hubbard have been making vats of it for their smallholder course lunches. They say:
Is there such a thing as a year without a runner bean glut? We’ve never known one. We adore this chutney with almost any kind of hard Devon cheese (Devon Oke, Curworthy) either in slabs or cheese on toast.
Obviously it goes just as well with Cornish cheese and Sue Pugh’s bread from St Kew Harvest Farm Shop!
Preparation/cooking: just over an hour
Makes 8 x 500ml jars
Ingredients
8 medium onions
500ml malt vinegar
2kg runner beans
2 heaped tbsp English mustard powder
2 heaped tbsp ground turmeric
50g cornflour
500ml white wine vinegar
500g granulated sugar
4 heaped tbsp wholegrain mustard
4 tsp flaked sea salt
Method
Dice the onion and put in pan with malt vinegar, simmer for 15 mins. Trim runner beans and slice thinly, put in a pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, drain and refresh.
Mix the mustard powder, turmeric, cornflour, salt and wholegrain mustard with 4tbsp white wine vinegar.
Stir sugar and remaining white wine vinegar into onion/malt vinegar mix, boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add beans and cook gently for 10 mins, giving it a bit of a stir. Pour mustardy mix into the mixture stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.
Simmer for 20 mins, stirring regularly. Put into hot jars and seal. Store for at least a month before eating, but it’s better if left for 3 or 4 months, or 12!
A different way with runner beans from Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook. She calls it ‘a delicious soft, creamy dish that is good with roast chicken. It also makes a tasty quick pasta sauce.’ If you don’t have savory, you can use thyme instead.
Serves 4
Preparation/cooking: 20 minutes
Ingredients
450g runner beans
salt and black pepper
150ml double cream
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tbsp chopped summer savory or thyme, plus more to serve
grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Method
String and slice the beans and cook them uncovered in rapidly boiling salted water for 3 minutes until they are just tender. Plunge into cold water and drain.
Put the cream, garlic clove and savory or thyme in a saucepan. Add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes for the flavours to merge. Take out the garlic.
Add the beans, put back on the heat and stir to heat them through. Scatter more savory or thyme and plenty of parmesan over the top.
