Bean salad Cook broad beans in boiling water until tender, then refresh under a cold tap. Slip off the outer skins if tough, then mix with rocket, chopped mint, parsley and pecorino or Parmesan cheese shavings. Toss in a dressing of seasoned olive oil and lemon juice.

Summer dip Pound equal quantities of cooked beans and peas, together with a clove or two of garlic, using a pestle and mortar. Add olive oil until you have a rough paste and finish with a squeeze of lemon and some chopped parsley.

Bean, chorizo and potato side dish Sauté slices of cooked potato in oil until they begin to turn golden. Add slices of chorizo, cooked broad beans and chopped tomato. Stir until the potato is golden, the beans hot and the chorizo crisp and heated through. Finish with chopped parsley.

Asian-style In separate pans cook 500g beans and half a head of cauliflower florets until tender. Sauté a chopped onion in oil. When soft, add a teaspoonful each of ground cumin and coriander, plus chilli to taste. Add the cooked beans and cauliflower and toss well. Finish with chopped coriander.

Broad bean and bacon pasta Cook penne pasta in salted water. Meanwhile, sauté pieces of smoked bacon until golden. Add cooked broad beans, crème fraîche and plenty of chopped mint and parsley, and heat through. Add the drained pasta, toss well and serve with grated Parmesan.

Best friends with pecorino cheese. Generations of Italians snacking on young tender beans and slivers of the cheese can’t be wrong.

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