Runner beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, but they don’t last long and are best eaten within 3 days of picking. Not great if you can't get through the glut OR you've been away from home.

Simon Hopkinson's latest book is an English-looking volume with a Francophile sensibility, inspired by a meal thrown together from leftover... Serves 4, as a light lunch or supper I like the mimicry ...