Bold Bean Co
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ALL ABOUT: THE QUEEN CARLIN PEA
These Carlins - also known as Black Badgers, Pigeon Peas, Grey Peas - are one of Britain's best kept secrets: seriously, we CAN'T BELIEVE we haven't been eating this British pulse sooner. Here’s everything you need to know about them - from what they taste like, where they come from, to their nutritional superpowers (aka our highest protein bean!) + the MOST DELICIOUS WAYS to cook with them.
The Lowdown
Nutty, creamy with a satisfying bite – we call our Carlin Peas the BOLDEST of the British-grown pulses. They’ve got tender skins but with proper bite, making them perfect for anything from rustic stews to crisping up BEAUTIFULLY in the oven for salad toppers. And their bean stock? It tastes almost like a very good gravy(!).
Are they the same as chickpeas? Not quite. Imagine if a chickpea and a puy lentil had a baby – you’d get something with a chestnut-like nuttiness, hearty texture, and an earthy depth all its own.
Carlin Peas go WAY back. Monks in the Middle Ages cultivated them as a diet staple (clearly, they were onto something). In the North of England, they’ve been a Lent tradition for centuries – so much so that Passion Sunday became known as Carlin Sunday, with the infamous “Farting Monday” following right after (LOL). Traditionally, they’ve been boiled and served with vinegar + salt as Parched Peas at markets and fairs, handed out in little brown paper bags.
QUEEN BEANS
Where They Come From
Each bean we use is chosen for one reason: FLAVOUR. Each bean variety is suited to different growing conditions, we source our beans from the best possible climate for each one.
We’re proudly partnering with Hodmedod’s, THE champions of British-grown pulses and grains that have thrived here for centuries but fallen out of fashion.
Our first harvest is from Cambridgeshire, where the climate and soils give us peas with unbeatable flavour and texture. By choosing them, you’re supporting British farmers, British soils and and enhancing our food security here in the UK
QUEEN BEANS
How we cook them
Once they reach our factories in Spain, they get poured into glass jars with just water + a pinch of salt. They are then cooked in the jars in a giant pressure cooker, and cooked low + slow. This method locks in flavour, keeps the skins intact, and gives you a bean that’s creamy, tender, and perfect to eat STRAIGHT FROM THE JAR. It also gives you that luscious, creamy “bean stock” - aka, the liquid in the jar. We season our beans throughout the cooking process like proper chefs do!
Bog standard supermarket beans are heated up quickly, to a SUPER high temp, losing the banging beany flavour along the way.
We NEVER add anything artificial. No preservatives, no weird sulphites, just what you’d use at home: beans, water + salt.
Are they good for you?
The short answer? ABSO-BEANY-LUTELY.
Carlin Peas are OUR HIGHEST PROTEIN BEAN. They are naturally low in fat + packed with fibre.
Per 100g, they offer around:
23g protein / 3.4g fibre / 140 kcal
They’re also loaded with anthocyanins – the antioxidant pigments that give them their deep purplish-brown colour. These compounds are linked to:
🩸 Cardiovascular health
🧠 Better memory + brain health
🍬 Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
🦠 Anti-inflammatory + cancer-protective effects
HOW TO USE THEM – BEANSPO!
(That’s bean-inspiration, if you’re new here)
Imagine if a chickpea + a lentil had a baby... Their nutty flavour, sorta like a chestnut or puy lentil, and firm texture work well in any recipe that calls for chickpeas, particularly when blitzing them into a silky dip or roasting them for a crunchy salad topper.
We urge you to first try them warm, with a splash of vinegar + maple syrup, in homage to the Parched Peas street food tradition.
OUR FAVOURITE WAYS TO USE THEM
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