World Cup Cuisine ? English Braised Broad Beans with Bacon, Peas and Mint

We didn’t have much enthusiasm for this after England’s shocking performance earlier on but, since we had everything we needed, we got on with it and did a much better job than Fabio’s 11.

This is a slightly revised version of the braised broad bean dish I loved so much last year, with the addition of peas and bacon. We had originally intended to cook some fish to go with it but Stephen spotted some crab while he was out shopping earlier so we put that on toast instead.

I was slightly worried that the crab would be over-powered by the other flavours but it wasn’t and it’s sweetness worked well with the leeks. The toast provided a good crunch and the bacon, obviously, made everything better.

We’re off on holiday now so our world cup series will be on a half-time break for now. We don’t have any dishes planned for the countries left in the tournament but one thing is certain, there won’t be any German food appearing any time soon.