For a small New Year’s Eve gathering, start by deciding how many pulses you need and what role they’ll play in the menu. For tins or jars containing liquid, the drained weight is more useful than the container’s apparent size. Plain pulses let you choose the seasoning, while a pouch or tin of ready-made pulses makes serving easier but means checking the recipe and ingredients. Dried pulses are a good choice if you have time to prepare them in advance.
For two to four people, the amount you need depends on how you plan to serve the pulses: as a few nibbles, a side dish or a meal in their own right. For a tin or jar containing liquid, check the drained weight to work out how much you’ll have to serve.
Already-cooked pulses save you the soaking and cooking time. If you choose a ready-made dish that needs reheating, check that its seasoning works with the rest of your meal.
A ready-made dish may contain pulses, grains, oil and seasonings. Check the ingredients list and the allergens shown on the packaging rather than relying on the dish’s name alone.
For a small New Year’s Eve gathering, decide whether you want to season the pulses yourself or serve a ready-made dish, then choose a pack size to suit the number of guests.
Choose this: if you’re making your own sauce or seasoning for a few guests.
Bear in mind: you’ll still need to finish the dish, even when the pulses are already cooked.
Choose this: if the prepared recipe suits your menu and you’re short on time before serving.
Bear in mind: you’ll have less control over the seasoning, and the dish may contain grains, including wheat.
Choose this: if you want to control the texture and seasoning in your recipe.
Bear in mind: check the preparation steps in advance; a Lidl recipe for green lentils calls for overnight soaking.
| What to consider | What to check | What matters to shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and leftovers | For a tin or jar containing liquid, compare the drained weight. Choose the number of packs according to whether the pulses will be served as a nibble, a side dish or a main course. | If I’m only making a small side, I want to serve enough pulses without running short or ending up with lots of leftovers. Around 36% of consumers would put getting the quantity right first. |
| Preparation time | Check whether the pulses are already cooked or need cooking from dried; for a ready-made dish, read the reheating instructions. | When it’s nearly time to serve, I’d rather avoid anything that needs soaking or cooking in advance. Speed would be the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Freedom to adapt the recipe | Check the product name and ingredients to tell a plain base from an already seasoned dish. | To go with the menu I’ve planned, I want to choose the sauce and finishing touches myself. Having control over the recipe would matter most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients and allergens shown, especially if the dish contains grains. | If someone at the table needs to avoid an ingredient, I need to know exactly what’s in the product before choosing it. Around 14% of consumers would make this their first check. |
The liquid in the tin or jar isn’t part of the pulses you’ll serve once they’ve been drained. The Carrefour Classic’ and Bio Village products mentioned here have different drained weights, ranging from 205 g to 260 g depending on the product.
Compare the drained weight where applicable, then work out how much you need based on the dish’s place in the meal.
Bjorg’s quinoa and chickpea dish contains bulgur wheat, as well as chickpeas and other grains. It isn’t a like-for-like substitute for plain pulses that you can season yourself.
Read the ingredients of any ready-to-heat dish and choose it only if the recipe suits your menu and guests.
The DGCCRF says that dents, rust or a bulging tin may indicate that the product has deteriorated, regardless of the date shown on the packaging.
Set aside any tin showing these signs and plan another option for the meal.
Preparation time depends on the recipe: the Lidl green lentil recipe mentioned here calls for overnight soaking.
Before you buy, check whether your recipe requires soaking and how long the pulses need to cook. If you’re preparing food at the last minute, choose pulses that are already cooked.
These products offer useful comparisons in terms of format and ingredients, although they aren’t all the same type of product.
Carrefour offers a mix of beans and chickpeas in a jar with a drained weight of 260 g, which could work as a base to customise.
The E.Leclerc range includes several small jars of Bio Village pulses for you to compare.
The E.Leclerc range includes Eco+ chickpeas weighing 265 g and Eco+ lentils weighing 530 g.
Auchan lists lentils and chickpeas in a separate category from its tinned vegetable range.
Bjorg’s 250 g ready-made quinoa and chickpea dish is advertised as ready in 2 minutes, following the brand’s instructions.
Both of these tins contain ready-made chickpeas, so consider them if their seasoning suits your menu. Their stated weights of 280 g and 400 g mean you’ll need to check how much you’ll actually need for the meal. These aren’t plain pulses that you can season however you like.
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Worth considering if a pre-seasoned chickpea curry fits your New Year’s Eve menu.
280 g tin; the description says it can be reheated in a pan or microwave. The recipe includes onion, oil, garlic and spices.
Check the pack for details to help you work out how much chickpea to serve.
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Consider this if you’d like to reheat chickpeas with vegetables, sauce and spices, rather than make a plain side dish from scratch.
The tin contains 400 g of prepared food; the product page says it contains 25% chickpeas. Compare this with the amount of pulses you want to serve.
The product page warns that it may contain soya and cereals containing gluten. Check the labelling if this matters to your guests.
If the pulses are packed in liquid, compare the drained weight: this is the weight of the pulses once drained. The DGCCRF says that this information must appear on the label in France. Then adjust the quantity to suit the dish’s place in your menu.
Don’t serve pulses from a tin showing signs of damage. According to the DGCCRF, dents, rust or a bulging tin may indicate that the product has deteriorated. Even if the date is still valid, you should check the condition of the tin.
Not like for like: a ready-made dish also includes its sauce and other ingredients. The Bjorg quinoa and chickpea dish mentioned here contains bulgur wheat and various types of rice. Choose plain pulses if your recipe calls for a base that you can season yourself.
Read the ingredients list and allergens shown on the packaging of the specific product you plan to serve. Don’t assume you know what’s in it from the words “chickpeas” alone: a ready-made dish may also contain grains or other ingredients.
No: check the exact wording on the packaging. The French Ministry of the Economy distinguishes between a use-by date, shown as “use by”, and a best-before date, shown as “best before”. Follow the product’s storage instructions too.