WoW Bites: Meet the Cork woman who wants to make beans sexy 

Beans, beans, beans… they have been the butt of jokes forever! Yet one Cork chef says these colourful, vibrant, versatile, nutrition-packed, low-cost, delicious nuggets of goodness deserve a second look.

Corkonians will know Ali Honour from her 30-year career in food and hospitality, from Bakestone to Ali’s Kitchen, Cork’s Imperial Hotel and GIY in Waterford, always pushing the envelope for good eating while honing her passion for sustainability.

Since 2021, her focus has settled on beans, putting them front and centre on menus and making them sexy.

A member of the global community Chef’s Manifesto, Ali has worked on the frontline of the worldwide Beans Is How campaign. Aligned to key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the campaign aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030” by doubling the global consumption of beans.

There are over 400 varieties of edible beans grown around the world, yet most of us could name but a dozen. Add to that the multitude of peas and lentils, and there is a deep larder of exciting ingredients to cook and eat.

For that, we’re gonna need a handy little guide… 

In January, Ali released her first cookbook: Beans. I spoke with Ali about the book over a bean-powered lunch and asked why legumes are enjoying a moment in the sun.

“Growing up, beans were part of my diet because there was more of a focus on nutrition,” says Ali. “People have always known how nutritious beans are, but beans were seen as a cheap way to bulk something out; make a soup or stew stretch.”

The book is the result of five years working with beans to understand how to cook and get the best out of them from soaking to cooking to adding flavours, to their use in all kinds of foods – not just sweet and savoury, but as condiments and even drinks.

“In the early days, people had an interest in what I was saying, but I don’t think it was resonating. But now this book couldn’t have come at a better time because people want change, even if it’s only a little bit. That’s why they would find this book interesting.”

Beans, says Ali, are not just good for us to eat, they’re good full stop. Throughout her career, Ali has grown increasingly aware of issues in our food system and how what we eat impacts health.

“What brought me to working more with beans was our broken food system and food inequality. The Beans Is How campaign was created by people asking what’s the one thing we can really drive as a global initiative. Beans win hands down from a climate and health perspective, how easy they are to grow, and a very accessible nutritious food. Beans even do the magical work of fixing our soil by taking nitrogen out of the air and locking it in the ground.

“In the early days of the campaign, I remember having like a firework moment of all the things I wanted to do with beans, how to make them more desirable, take away their stigma and make them a food everybody wants to eat. That’s my goal. Beans are a natural plant protein, full of fibre, and I just want to make them delicious!”

Ali set about working her creative magic, figuring out how to move the dial on for beans by incorporating them into dishes with flavours and textures to tempt the modern eater.

It started with some low-hanging fruit – the sweet stuff.

“It was about getting people grasping at something straight away that everyone would want to eat and not even realise there were beans in it. It started with a black bean brownie recipe that’s now all over the world!

“That was great, but I needed to go further. It needed to be an everyday food, something people recognise as something they want to eat, like a sticky toffee pudding but with beans and parsnips, or a showstopper of a recipe Baked Alaska that you can have fun with.”

The recipes inside Beans showcase the humble legume in ways that are creamy, crunchy, smoky, spicy, sweet, savoury and satisfying, all with a zero waste mindset in-built so you can do more with less without even thinking about it.

Savoury recipes such as crispy salt & pepper pods made with leftover fresh pea pods, harissa chickpea balls, fermented fava bean wraps, roast tomato gazpacho with crispy beans and pesto, or turning leftover chickpea water (aqua faba) into a deliciously dollop-able mayonnaise.

On the sweet side of things, a very modern twist on the ’70s classic Baked Alaska with black beans, white bean créme brûlée, black bean mocha fudge cake, or infuse pea pods in vodka to make podka, the basis of a very on-trend and climate-conscious Martini.

In addition, the book is filled with useful information on soaking, cooking, storing and sprouting beans, where to buy them, and handy conversion charts for dried versus tinned legumes.

“My whole cooking career has focused on good, delicious food that people want to eat, but I was always asking questions and usually getting into trouble. The trendy word for that now is disruption,” says Ali.

But that inquisitive nature is what fuels her creatively inventive streak, enabling her to take a whole new view on something as humble and everyday as a bean.

Cooking with beans can seem like a daunting task, and there can be confusion over whether dried or tinned beans are better for us.

“The protein and fibre of beans is the protein and fibre of beans. The difference between tinned and dried beans is price and texture. Tinned is cheap but dried is even better value for money, plus you’ve got a lot more control over texture when using dried beans.

“When you get into the habit of using dried beans, they’re a joy. Simply put them in their spa overnight to soak, and then put them in a little heated thermospa later when you cook them. When you think about it, they’re having a joyous time!

“I have a cupboard full of tins of beans, and I have loads of dried beans. If I’m at home, I’ll cook more with dried, but if I’m on the go all day or traveling I’ll use tinned beans and within a few minutes, I’ll have a meal ready and done. If you’re new to beans, start with tinned and work your way to dry. There’s a bit more attention required when you’re soaking them.”

Every type of bean, pea and lentil has its own characteristic. There’s no homogeneous bean flavour; each has its own aroma, flavour and texture. Depending on what you want to make, select the best bean for the job. Some work well in sweet recipes; others shine in savoury.

But do beans suffer from an image problem?

“They do, but I’m hoping to break that,” says Ali. “When I talk about desirability, part of that was busting the myths and stigmas around beans. Most people turn their noses up at beans or say they can’t eat them because they make someone fart all the time!

“I write about this in the chapter The Truth About Toots. If you suddenly eat a load of beans, you might complain about a bad tummy but that’s because your gut might not yet be geared up to handle a lot of beans. Start with a small amount and keep adding beans to your daily meals, and you’ll be fine.

“I eat beans twice a day, but my gut is able for it. Even so, I still have some days when I’ve ‘over-beaned’ and have some fun with farting, but I just laugh about it!”

A little gaseous expulsion is completely normal and a sign your all-important gut microbiome is working well. “In other words,” says Ali, “a toot or two means your gut is in good shape!”

Beans really are having a moment in the sun. Everyone is talking about them, and there are a growing number of growers and producers of legumes in Ireland and UK. Instagram is full of posts about the vaunted cooked jarred beans from Bold Bean Co; and although sustainability-minded British dried pulse grower, Hodmedod’s, have been around for nearly 15 years, they are experiencing a new wave of success off the back of this new Bean Revolution, encouraging us all to #BangInSomeBeans.

“From the point of nutritionists, campaigners to activists, beans and plant-forward eating has become a solution to where we are in this world right now,” says Ali.

“It’s not just me; it’s a global message now – everyone’s talking about beans. That’s very fortuitous timing for the book, but I still think in Ireland we need to do a lot more.

“I’d love to be able to do our own Irish bean campaign - that’s on my to-do list of goals; but as a talking point, beans are very much there because of the issues surrounding food.

“There’s so much overwhelming stuff going on in the world about food, but my little book of Beans can show you how to enjoy food and eat well without breaking the bank.”

When a book like Beans is as much a manifesto for eating beans as it is a love letter, Ali says it was important to name dishes in ways that felt familiar so home cooks can visualise what they are making and how a dish will taste.

“For me to sit down and write a book for others starting their own journey of change, it had to be recipes for dishes that people recognised. So I intentionally used words like burger, fritter, cake, cookie, spread, dip, whip - things people associate with everyday food and eating just with an emphasis on beans and vegetables. I want people to want to make every single recipe in the book!”

Beans is the seventeenth book in the internationally acclaimed series of homegrown Blasta Books. The 2026 series showcases a design glow-up: funky illustrations still adorn the cover, but inside photographer Jo Murphy’s bold, bright, almost retro visuals, new fonts and a rejigged layout exemplify the series battle cry to ‘Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Blasta’.

“I think this new look for Blasta Books is great! It’s bold; I’m talking boldly about beans, so it just seemed to slot in and fit together very nicely.”

Throughout the year, Ali will host talks, demos and pop-ups across the country as she and her little book of Beans goes on tour to spread her ‘beaniful’ gospel.

• Beans is available via www.blastabooks.com. €17. Follow @honouryourfood on Instagram for bean-tastic tips, recipes and events.