· French beans can also be known as dwarf or bobby beans, while a smaller, finer variety of the same thing is usually labelled as a fine bean. Collectively, all these are known as green beans.
· August is peak time for green and runner beans, and local ones ought to be readily available in your farm shop or greengrocer's. Pick-your-own farms often grow them, too - which means you can get them extra fresh. Pickyourown.org/unitedkingdom will help you track down your nearest bean-growing farm.
· Both green and runner beans are easy to grow in the UK, and their natural season runs from July to the end of September. During this time, most (though not all) of the beans sold in our supermarkets will be UK grown. Only a serious problem with the weather (ie endless rain) will make suppliers turn to foreign sources. The same is true for organic beans, though these are even more susceptible to the vagaries of the climate, so are slightly more likely to be from overseas, even during the summer season.
· It's not feasible to extend the growing season in the UK, but our demand for these beans - green beans in particular - doesn't abate very much during the rest of the year. For this reason, beans from Kenya, Egypt and Morocco are a common sight on supermarket shelves. An air-freighted Kenyan bean can be on the supermarket shelf 48 hours after being picked, and it's pretty sure to get sold. One supplier told me that, across the year, around 60% of the green and French beans we eat in the UK are imported.
· If you want to ensure you're eating British-grown beans, it's essential to buy in season (frozen and tinned beans may well be imported too). If you buy supermarket beans, check the pack for the country of origin. If your beans are unpackaged, ask the retailer where they source from.
