4 July 2026

The first runner beans of the season have arrived

There's a real thrill to the arrival of the first runner beans of the year — and today's the day. Our very first box landed in the shop this morning, grown right here in Devon by one of our fantastic local growers, and they are every bit as good as we'd hoped.

Why now is the best time to buy them

Catch runner beans early in the season and you get them at their very best: young, slender and beautifully tender, before the pods have a chance to turn tough or stringy. These first pickings are sweet and crisp, with that unmistakable fresh-green flavour that only comes from beans grown close to home and sold within a day or two of harvest.

Because ours have travelled only a few short miles from a Devon field to our shelves, they arrive with all that just-picked freshness intact — and buying them now means supporting a local grower right at the start of their season.

More than just a side vegetable

Most of us think of runner beans as something to steam and serve alongside a roast. And they're lovely that way, no question. But these first tender beans are so good that we think they deserve to be the star of the show.

Slow-braised in good olive oil with garlic and tomatoes until silky and rich, they become a proper dish in their own right — the kind of thing you'd happily eat as a light supper with crusty bread, or serve warm as part of a summer spread. It's a completely different way to enjoy them, and it might just change how you think about runner beans for good.

Give it a try

We've put together a simple recipe to show them off at their best — a Mediterranean-style runner bean and tomato braise, using our refillable Andalusian olive oil, local tomatoes and French garlic, finished with plenty of crusty sourdough.

Pop in and grab a bag of these first Devon runner beans while they're at their most tender — we don't expect them to hang around for long.