Beans on toast
Preparation
We suggest you do the vocabulary activity below before you watch . Then watch the video and do the two tasks to check your understanding. You can read the transcript at any stage if you want. Finally, have a look at the recipe and make beans on toast yourself!
Task
Answer the following questions about the video
Task 2
Complete the popular rhyme spoken by Dom at the beginning of the video by typing the missing words into the gaps.
Transcript
Dom: ‘Beans, beans good for your heart, the more you eat the more you fart, the more you fart the better you feel, so let's have beans for every meal!’
Tom: That’s the great thing about them; you can experiment with them. You can go classic bean style, right, classic and go for plain beans, ok. Or you can add other ingredients like sausage, bacon, egg, y’know. They’re very versatile, beans. You can do many things with them. That’s why us Brits, we love ‘em!
Dom: These are Hong Kong’s favourite beans, I do believe. These ones would be more recommended, but due to advertising restrictions we do have to use the Smedley’s today.
Woman: We do actually have some Heinz for you.
Dom: Oh, lovely. Look at that! Oh look, a baby one and a mummy one! Cool.
Tom: Gotta be Heinz, ‘cos Heinz are like the Rolls-Royce of baked beans, y’know. They’re like the Daddy. The boom daddy. They’re the best. (Sings) ‘Sometimes I feel like they’re my only friend, when they’re in the saucepan I’m stirring nowhere…’(laughs). Mmm, in the toaster it goes…
Dom: Lovely bacon! So…let’s bring the little babies over here.
Tom: Oh, it’s burnt a little bit! You see that…is perfect. Just a bit of ‘burnage’ round the sides, erm but not too much. If you put it flat down on the plate, ok, you’re gonna get a lot of steam coming out er.. from the toast, ok, and it’s gonna get trapped between the plate and the toast, ok, and then you’re gonna get soggy bread. Now that’s not what you want, ok, you want to just leave it, rest it there for about thirty seconds ok. I prefer to go for the olive, um, the olive butter, because um it’s better for your um, better for your health.
Dom: It’s much easier to use a knife to spread the butter than it is to use your finger, I have discovered. You can actually almost hear the beans singing with joy.
Tom: (sings)…’I couldn’t cook my beans, yeah…I tried to cook them really good for you, but you...’ No, that’s crap.
Dom: Hmm, that looks really unhealthy. Ah, lovely! So, that looks fantastic
Tom: ..tomato ketchup. Because you’ve got that um that richer tomato flavour.
Dom: ..put it all here…So pepper, yes. Salt, no. Ketchup, no. Why not ketchup? It doesn’t go with beans because beans are sort of, in a sort of ketchup already, aren’t they. We could also add some salad as well, to make things pretty.
Tom: Mm, mm, mm, that burnt flavour is just right.
Dom: Mm!
Tom: Simple, simple to make, but it really hits the spot.
Dom: I don’t actually, really eat beans very much ‘cos I don’t think they’re very healthy. Erm, but I do like eating beans with a big English breakfast. (Laughs) Good, are we done? I can stop eating it now. Mm, it’s all right. The cheese is really nice.
Tom: (sings)…’I tried to cook them really good for you, but you...’ No, that’s crap.
Recipe
Beans on Toast (serves one)
Preparation time: seconds
Cooking Time: 5-8 minutes
Two slices of bread (any type)
Small can baked beans in tomato sauce
- Put the bread in the toaster or under the grill.
- Open can of beans and empty into a pan.
- Heat on low temperature for about 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Butter toast and put slices on plate.
- Pour beans on top of toast. Season to taste - lots of pepper is good.
Spice it up
Spread hummus on the toast before you put the beans on.
Add some grated cheese and jalapeno peppers - the cheese melts and makes it gooey while the peppers give it a bit of a kick.
Add half a teaspoon of curry powder to the beans.
Stir in some Marmite during the heating phase - giving the beans an oomph. About half a teaspoon per full-size can of beans should do the trick. Or add some Worcestershire sauce, though the effect is not so pronounced.
Best for eating
On a tray in front of the telly watching your favourite television programme with a mug of tea.
Ideal time of year
Anytime - all year.
Cultural Note
People in the UK eat over 90% of the world's tinned baked beans. Luckily beans on toast provides a well-rounded, healthy, vegetarian meal - especially if you choose brown bread and beans in low sugar or low salt sauces.
Words from the Recipe
season to taste (exp.) - add salt and pepper to a dish to improve the flavour
hummus (n.) - a Middle Eastern dish made from chick peas and spices
jalapeno peppers (n.) - a small green chilli
gooey (adj.) - soft and sticky
give something a bit of a kick (exp.) - to make something spicy or strong tasting
Marmite (n.) - a spread made from yeast extract, usually eaten on toast, popular in the UK
give something an oomph (exp.) - to give something some extra taste
Worcestershire sauce (n.) - a spicy dark brown sauce used as a flavouring
telly (n.) - a slang word for television
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Tags for teachers
- Listening & Viewing Comprehension
- Listening : identify gist
- Reading & Viewing Comprehension
- Reading : identify gist
- Speaking : active listening responses
- Listening : identify specific information
- Speaking Interaction
- Everyday Functions
- Functions: stating preferences
- Vocabulary: definitions
- Word Building
- Pronunciation: rhyme
- Sounds
Comments
Hello
I've never tried beans on toast. But I eat beans on rice almost every breakfast.
These beans are called " Natto " which is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. "Natto" has a little bit strange smell and are very sticky.
Would you like to try it ?
Hi, never i tired eat beans on toast, but I yes, I like eat, looks delicious.
I like beans on toast recipe to Dom, because i lke much the bacon.
Hi I am in China and have not been able to view or access the videos recently. Any solutions in the pipeline.
I can watch and download from the BBC but not your site.
Hi I have to say that baked beans are delicious... thanks BC for these nice videos.
hıı dıana how are you?
ı wonder just where do you lıve ın Colombıa?ı have some frıend from bogotha medellıene ı met wıth them ın london.do you have some frıends from london???
Hi,I really fell in love with British Council website , May i ask a question? Could anyone tell me the meaning of this idiom: Spilled the beans
Hi,
You can find the meaning of this idiom by using the Cambridge Dictionaries Online box at the right hand side of the page.
Best wishes,
Adam
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello! How funny these two boys are! and the video is ok. I have never tried beans on toast in my life, but I think I could like it. However I prefer not to eat canned food, so I suppose I would buy the beans and cook myself. Here in Spain, people use to eat them boiled, like a stew, with potatoes, some salt pork and pork sausage. If you eat this dish occasionally, with a little glass of good red wine, in the coldest days of the winter it will be a comforting meal, but be careful, don't eat so much! That is a high calorific recipe. Bye!!
Hi
In Egypt beans is the main breakfast dish with oil & lemon juice
all the Egyptian people have it
Here, in Belarus, we don't eat beans very often....
But a lot of people like fresh or tinned beans....
As for me, I like to have them in a salad, the recipe of which I can share with you:
- 1 tin of beans (a medium one)
- 1 packet of bacon flavoured crispy bread (you can also crush a toast into small pieces)
- 1 onion and 1 carrot
Chop the onion. Peel the carrot and grate it.
Heat the pan and add a little vegetable oil or butter. Put the onion and the carrot and fry a little, stirring well, until it gets golden brown. Cool this.
Mix together beans, bread, onion and carrot.
Dress with some mayonnaise.
Enjoy! :-)