Dried butter beans are full of flavour and are worth the effort.
- Store beans at room temperature in a glass or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. They will keep for 6-9 months, but they do toughen a little over time, so the longer you keep them, the longer you will have to cook them.
- Soak beans in a bowl of water at room temperature, overnight or for 8-10 hours, but no longer than 12 hours.
- After soaking the beans, drain the water, place the beans in a saucepan and cover with fresh cold water (no salt at this stage as it toughens the skins).
- Cook the beans for between 45 minutes or couple of hours, depending on their size.
- If you haven't got the time, try a quick soak - Put the beans in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the water and cook the beans as per your recipe.