Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Bean Chilli with British Quinoa Lemon & Herb

Did you know that Quinoa is grown in the UK? I’m very excited to tell you about local company The British Quinoa Company who are producing some fantastic products in beautiful Shropshire. Lots of information and a super delicious recipe for you below…

British Quinoa is the leading grower of quinoa in the UK, based in Shropshire, where I lived when I was younger. Growing quinoa in the UK is still relatively new, but Stephen, the founder of The British Quinoa Company has been lovingly refining the process for a decade, trialling 30 or so varieties.

Did you know quinoa is actually a seed rather than a grain? Although it’s eaten in a similar way to rice or couscous, it’s more closely related to beets and spinach.

All of British Quinoa’s crops are grown in the UK, mostly in Shropshire and you can find organic options on their website. You might notice it’s a little darker than other quinoa you may have seen? This is because they leave the outer bran on the seed, making wholegrain, meaning even more nutritional minerals and fibre.

Even their ready to eat pouches are the result of 3 years of careful testing and tweaking – Making it easy for people who are in a rush, or looking for a simple solution. Incidentally, their lovely packaging features my photography – I’m very proud of that! 

Quinoa sometimes still gets labelled as a new super food, but I’m not alone in thinking it’s here to stay. Its nutty taste is quite unique and is a super gluten-free alternative to wheat. It’s also high in fibre and protein with all the essential amino acids.

It’s versatile too, you can get creative with quinoa, sweet, or savoury. One of my favourite quinoa dishes is this Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Bean Chilli recipe. Created with their lemon & herb ready to eat pouch – recipe below.

I created this super delicious quinoa, sweet potato & bean chilli using British Quinoa Lemon & Herb which works so well. I’ve packed tons of veggies, sweet potato, beans and quinoa into this nutritional power house of a chilli.  I think the key to a really good chilli is the extras, all the things that go with it to make the meal really amazing ie; Topping with avocado and serving with hummus, flatbreads etc. It’s all about the layering of different textures and flavours and then scooping everything up together. 

I hope you enjoy this super delicious chilli and learning about this inspiring UK producer x