Brothy Beans, Leeks & Fennel

Cook the beans, leek & fennel

• Roughly slice the leeks. Thinly slice the garlic cloves. Slice the fennel lengthways into 6-8 wedges.
• Heat a dash of olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and fennel wedges cut-side down - with a pinch of salt and sauté until nicely softened, about 10-12 minutes - the longer you leave them, the sweeter they’ll be. Add the garlic in the final minute of cooking and cook until fragrant.
• Make up the vegetable stock cube with 200ml boiling water.
• Pour in the Bold Bean Queen butter beans with their stock and the vegetable stock and stir to combine. Bubble away for 4-5 minutes, crushing some of the beans slightly with a spoon to thicken the broth.

Make Pumpkin Seed Gremolata

• Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes until they start to pop and smell toasty. Finely chop up half of the pumpkin seeds (this will create more of a pesto-like texture).
• Add all the pumpkin seeds to a bowl with the chopped fresh parsley, olive oil and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Check for seasoning.

Finish & plate up

• Once the stew is looking brothy and glossy, stir in the juice of ½ lemon and some cracked black pepper. Spoon into bowls and scatter over the gremolata.