It’s difficult to explain the nation’s fondness for baked beans, yet, after more than 130 years and still as popular as ever, beanz most definitely meanz Heinz. Nowhere else do people rapidly slurp up baked haricot beans simmered in a rich tomato sauce for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with the same dedication as we do in the UK.
Beyond being a national treasure, baked beans are an all-rounder. They’re full of fibre and protein, and they’re moreish without being pretentious. Without the addition of meat or dairy, the hardy tin of baked beans is hands down one of the most convenient vegan dishes there is. And now Heinz No Added Sugar Beanz manages to have 60% less sugar and 25% less salt than your regular beans, all without compromising on that tomatoey flavour. And who knew the mighty bean is even one of your five a day, but as well as all their health benefits, they just taste great.
So whether you integrate Heinz No Added Sugar Beanz into your healthy lifestyle by loading them on top of a baked sweet potato, or you invent your own bean-based dish, the convenient snack brings back nostalgic memories for most of us. With that in mind, here are some stories about the humble and comforting baked bean that will make you smile and reach for a tin the next time you’re in the supermarket.
Alice Midgley, charity manager
My grandad Ronald would tell me stories of how he used to go hiking and camping on the Isle of Skye when he was young. He would sleep in his car with his nephew and they would survive off tins of baked beans. Now, aged 94, he still really enjoys walks and beans. He loves to eat them in homemade soup and with onion bridies (pastries). I love going up to visit him and chowing down on good old-fashioned Scottish food – stovies, scotch pies and white pudding – all of which are fabulous with beans.
Tara Joshi, London, journalist
Growing up, as a treat sometimes my mum would make curried baked beans, frying up all the spices, making masala and mixing in the baked beans. It was something I would occasionally do at university because it was cheap, vegetarian and also a nice little reminder of home. But the most interesting, albeit slightly odd, story concerns my pet tin of baked beans. It became this weird joke with the boy I fancied at school. I was 14 and we called the tin of beans “John”. We took the label off, drew on him and had joint custody of him. For me, the implication that we were co-parenting this tin of baked beans alluded to this deep romance. Heartbreakingly, he got a girlfriend. It transpired co-parenting a tin of baked beans is not some kind of language of love – it’s the ultimate friendzoning. We left each other weird messages in years to come about tins of beans. It was very strange, but I guess it’s a great unifier.
Sharon Bertram, artist/educator
Back in the 1970s or early 1980s, the advertising for baked beans caught my eye, and one thing I picked up from the adverts was having beans on toast as an alternative, healthy meal. My mum would always exclaim: “How could you have that as a meal?” But I liked the idea of it. I went camping when I was about nine or 10, and as part of the camping experience you’re meant to take something with you, some simple food. I said I wanted beans, so my mum packed a tin. I saved them for the penultimate night and as my treat I had beans on toast, then marshmallows as my dessert. And to this day, Heinz Beanz have been integrated into my Caribbean breakfast of fried dumpling, plantain and eggs, and the beans are an alternative to ackee.
Leyya Sattar, London, entrepreneur
When I moved to university, my mum would send me food care packages. In there, there were always beans – they were just normal unbranded beans. Then a few years later my sister was about to move out and my mum was doing the same thing for her, but she was picking up all the Heinz Beanz and I remember having this massive hissy fit in the middle of Tesco: “Like, why does she get Heinz and I get basic beans?” And it confirmed after all these years of denying it, that my sister was the golden child. It’s been a bit of a running joke since then.
Find out more about Heinz No Added Sugar Beanz here
