Raising the Pulse - Join the campus food revolution

Staff can try special menu option, take part in cooking demos and more as part of a Reading researcher-led campaign on the benefits of eating more beans and pulses.

The Raising the Pulse campaign launches today (Monday 11 November) and runs through to 1 December, and is aimed at encouraging staff, students and visitors to incorporate more nutrient-rich, climate-friendly pulses into their diets.

This includes the versatile and nutrient-rich faba bean (also known as broad bean), which grows well in the UK, cutting down on the food miles that are currently clocked up with imports of other ingredients like soya.

The team of Agrifood researchers will also collect feedback from participants, which will aid development of future activities at Reading and help to promote similar campaigns in other institutions.

Join the campus food revolution

During the campaign, the University will host a series of events and activities, including:

1. Pulse-based menus in campus dining

   

   Every day from 11 November to 1 December 2024, campus dining facilities (Eat at the Square, Park Eat, St Patrick’s, Wantage and The Dairy) will offer specially designed menus that feature a wide range of pulse-based meals.

   These include a new ‘Raising the Pulse’ bread made with faba bean flour.
   
   These dishes will showcase the versatility of pulses as part of a balanced diet. Look out for the ‘Raising the Pulse’ (RtP) logo, next to the foods that are pulse-based or pulse-enriched.

2. Interactive cooking demonstrations

   The Raising the Pulse team will host free live cooking demonstrations with the Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food on 21 and 22 November starting at 11:45, 12:30 and 13:30 at Eat at the Square.
   
   Drop in to learn to cook tasty, healthy and sustainable pulse-based recipes that are affordable and easy to prepare. There will be samples to taste and some freebies to take away.
   
   This activity is delivered in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation, Menus of Change, Bold Bean Co, and other project partners.

3. Promotional support from campus Co-op

   Throughout the campaign, the campus Co-op store will promote a selection of sustainable, pulse-based products, including butter beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, and baked beans, making it easy for everyone to integrate these items into their everyday shopping and cooking.

4. Interactive Treasure Hunt

   On 19 and 20 November, students, staff and visitors are invited to participate in an interactive treasure hunt around Whiteknights campus.
   
   Use the treasure hunt link (will only be active on 19-20 November) or scan the QR code at the Library Café. Follow the online prompts to visit different locations on campus and discover pulse-based products, recipes, and nutrition tips along the way.
   
   Complete the hunt and be entered in a draw to win one of 15 free meals at the Whiteknights campus dining facilities.

5. Recipes for easy-to-cook pulse-based meals

   Recipes developed by the Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food and the British Nutrition Foundation, in cooperation with the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, and the University of Reading team, will be made freely available to pick up at various food-related locations across the campus (e.g. Eat at the Square, the live cooking demonstrations, the Co-op).

These campus activities are part of the wider Raising the Pulse project, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

As part of the UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems initiative, Raising the Pulse aims to transform food systems by increasing the production and consumption of UK-grown pulses.

For further information on the campaign, please contact Dr Elena Millan or Professor Julie Lovegrove.