NEW LOOKS AT NEGLECTED LEGUMES Available to Purchase

Peas and beans are traditional UK crops well suited to the British climate. Compared with cereals, legumes are capable of fixing nitrogen, and hence do not require nitrogen fertiliser. Despite this advantage, the annual UK production of peas and beans is only about 1 million tonnes compared with roughly 13 million and 10 million tonnes of wheat and barley respectively. Thus these eco‐friendly ‘low‐input’ legumes can almost be regarded as ‘alternative crops’. The greater exploitation of peas and beans in Britain has long been debated amongst farmers, seed companies, food manufacturers and politicians alike, but much inertia still exists.