GREENS are slowly sprouting into action.

And with the arrival of June, so comes the arrival of this season’s peas, broad beans, French beans and mangetout.

These hearty and healthy vegetables are a positive signal that summer is here.

The more sunshine the more produce, so this month’s harvest should be plentiful.

Beans can easily be seen as boring, especially to the likes of children, but as with most things it’s all about context.

Thanks to the emergence of trendy organic and veggie restaurants and cafes, it is now the done thing to celebrate these delicious beans.

Cooked or raw, you can enjoy them by alone with salt and pepper, or in salads, stews or simply on ‘the side’.

Coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, beans and peas can add colour, texture and taste to just about any dish.

Head to Growing with Grace, Clapham, for French pencil beans at 92p per 100g. These sweet and delicious beans can hold their own, so steam or boil them until they’ve still got crunch.

Serve in a big bowl with freshly crushed garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy with home grown pea shoots in one of their salad bags at £1.99 per 100g. Keep it simple by sprinkling cheese over a warm broad bean and roasted cherry tomato salad.

Opt for a fresh and light Dorstone goat’s cheese at £7.80 or a crumbly Richard III Wensleydale at £17 per kilo, both from Settle’s Courtyard Dairy.

Any of these bean salads would sit perfectly on the side of a meat dish.

Higginsons of Grange-over-Sands have Herdwick or local spring lamb chops at £16.99 per kilo. Marinate the chops in Moroccan spices and lie them on a bed of cous cous.

Ideal for two and for a more traditional option, they have a range of mini lamb roasts at about £7. Roast some potatoes with thyme and garlic and add a pile of mixed greens.

Similarly, try out pork chops at £6.35 a kilo from Watson and Woollard, Kendal. Fine beans would be the perfect accompaniment to these if cooked slowly with apple and mustard in white wine.

Or have a posh barbecue using their beef, lamb, pork or venison burgers priced between 99p and £1.35. Stay in Kendal and grab some ready made salads from Baba Ganoush to go alongside your burgers.

They have a fine bean salad with parmesan, fresh mixed herbs in vinaigrette or sugar snap peas in a coriander, ginger and sweet chilli sauce both at £1.10 per 100g.

Try something a bit different in the form of samphire at £1.25 per 100g. This ‘sea asparagus’ would be perfect with their fresh mackerel at £8.95 per kilo. Simply grill with garlic and tomatoes.

All of this food is great for sharing, so stick your salads, greens, meats or fish in big bowls and line them down the table.

Hazelmere Cafe and Bakery, Grange -over-Sands, have spelt and honey soda bread at £2 per loaf, for a sweet and savoury sensation.

To finish off, try their fresh strawberry tart on a bed of custard in a pastry base at £1.70.