Guernsey Bean Jar

Bean jar is Guernsey’s traditional one-pot dish. Although each family has a different variation, it is typically made with pig’s trotter, haricot beans, butter beans, bay leaves, onions, and carrots. The beans are soaked overnight, and the following day all ingredients are placed in a large casserole dish, then covered with water or stock. The dish is baked in an oven for a long time, usually for 6-8 hours, before it’s ready to be served, preferably with crusty bread and Guernsey butter on the side. Until the 1920s, Guernsey bean jar has been regularly eaten for breakfast. When made at home, the pot was taken to the local bakers, where it would be cooked overnight in the bottom of the ovens. At dawn, the pot was collected, and the dish was traditionally eaten by fishermen before they went out to sea.