My oldest friend (as in length of time, not age) came round to stay the other week and very kindly brought me a bag of gluten free goodies from a farm shop in Congleton (I think). The thing I was most excited to try was this packet of Easy Bean Chickpea Crispbreads.

BC (before coeliac) I was a bit of a Ryvita fan, and I miss interesting crackers and crispbreads. Quite a lot of the gluten free ones are a bit bland. But I was cautiously optimistic about these, because they looked so seedy and lovely.

And I wasn’t disappointed. They are pleasingly thick and have a good crunch but don’t fall apart – maybe the buttermilk in them gives the texture? The chickpeas make for a nice nutty taste and the crispbreads are really well seasoned with black pepper, giving them a subtle, not overpowering flavour.

I had mine with some BBQ leftovers – hummous, coleslaw, lentils and veg, but they would be great with any toppings really – cottage cheese, salsa etc. I found two was plenty with my salad as a light lunch.

I would definitely buy these. A quick look online shows them to be priced between £2.50 and £3.29 for a pack of 5. They are available at Ocado, Holland and Barrett, and other ethical/health stores online.

As well as the Seeds and Black Pepper flavour, they also come in Moroccan Spice and Mungbean & Chive.

I had a look at the Easy Bean website, and they are a small producer, based in Somerset. They also make a variety of one pot meals, all with a beany theme. I might just try to get my hands on one of those…